A GSM monopoly? A savvy business acquisition? A precursor to the end of times? Call it what you’d like, but AT&T is offering Deutsche Telekom AG 39 billion reasons to sell T-Mobile. The potential mega-merger will face strict scrutiny over the next year by the government, the media, and the public, but one thing is certain – current T-Mobile users have a cause for concern.
As a satisfied customer of T-Mobile since 2002, there are two things that I believe set this cell phone provider apart from the rest, and that is their loyalty to customer service and their great pricing strategy.
So what could this merger mean for us T-Mobile users? Although the networks of AT&T and T-Mobile use the same underlying cellular technology, T-Mobile users who currently have 3G wireless mobile broadband service would eventually have to upgrade to AT&T’s 3G or 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) data services. Say goodbye to $30 unlimited data plans for our beloved Smartphones, and say hello to expensive, capped data plans that charge overage fees. With a company as large as AT&T, customer service is not a primary driving point for their business model and by adding an additional 33.7 million more U.S. customers, how bad could it possibly get? Look on the bright side though, fellow T-Mobilers: You would have a wider array of phones to choose from, including the coveted Apple iPhone, and a merger could lead to better network coverage throughout the States. Although we will have to wait and watch the outcome unfold, if the deal is eventually approved though, I’ll be making sure that I’m not one of the people left asking, “Can you hear me now?”