The marriage between T-Mobile and Sprint has played out like a long saga of unrequited love: the two sides have much to gain by consummating a merger, but authorities oppose it, and there have been differences about the size of the dowry that Softbank must pay as the parent of the Bride.
Last year we had said that the merger would likely go through to a firm agreement and stood a good chance of regulatory approvals if the players made a few concessions. We proffered that the parties might better prepare the merger with provisions to offer access to cable companies that would help assure the Department of Justice of an effective 4th leg of competition.
