DOJ probe of AT&T, T-Mobile deal deepens: source
The Justice Department has decided to pursue an in-depth investigation of AT&T’s plan to buy of T-Mobile USA, according to a source familiar with the deal.
The decision was widely expected as antitrust enforcers typically give close scrutiny to big deals that involve large market shares.
Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona declined to confirm that the antitrust division had deepened its probe. “Our investigation is ongoing,” she added.
AT&T’s $39 billion bid to buy Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile USA would concentrate 80 percent of U.S. wireless contract customers in just two companies: AT&T/T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc.
AT&T is currently the No. 2 U.S. mobile carrier behind Verizon.