Goodbye, Sprint: US judge approves T-Mobile’s purchase of competitor

Enlarge / A T-Mobile store in Times Square in New York City. (credit: Getty Images | picture alliance)

T-Mobile's $26 billion acquisition of Sprint is basically a done deal, as a federal judge today ruled that the merger can go forward. T-Mobile said in response that "the companies are now taking final steps to complete their merger," and that they will try to finalize the deal by April 1.

Attorneys general from thirteen states and the District of Columbia sued to block the merger, saying it would reduce competition in the wireless telecommunications market and harm consumers with higher prices. Their arguments were rejected in a ruling issued by District Judge Victor Marrero of US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Marrero's ruling said his decision was difficult because the sides' predictions of how the post-merger future will unfold amount to "competing crystal balls" that "essentially cancel each other out as helpful evidence the Court could comfortably endorse as decidedly affirming one side rather than the other."

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