14709: T-Mobile Takeover Of Sprint Is An Obscene Call.

Business Insider reported on the T-Mobile $26.5 billion takeover of Sprint. First of all, the move is hardly surprising, given that Sprint has been a telecommunications train wreck for years. Expect chaos in the months ahead as the transition process leads to reorganizations, resignations and redundancies—that is, there will be rampant terminations. Here’s hoping the first casualty will be the former Verizon “Can You Here Me Now?” character who defected to Sprint.

It’s official—T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion takeover of rival Sprint was just approved, despite fears of higher prices and job cuts

By Tali Arbel and Marcy Gordon, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators are approving T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion takeover of rival Sprint, despite fears of higher prices and job cuts.

Friday’s approval by the Justice Department and five state attorneys general comes after Sprint and T-Mobile agreed to conditions that would set up satellite-TV provider Dish as a fourth wireless company, so the number of major U.S. providers remains at four.

Dish is buying prepaid cellphone brands such as Boost and Virgin Mobile and some spectrum, or airwaves for wireless service, from the two companies. It will also be able to rent T-Mobile’s network for seven years while it builds its own. The Justice Department’s antitrust chief, Makan Delrahim, said the settlement sets up Dish “as a disruptive force in wireless.”

Sprint and T-Mobile combined would now approach the size of Verizon and AT&T. The companies have argued that bulking up will mean a better next-generation “5G” wireless network than they could make on their own.

The two companies tried to combine during the Obama administration but regulators rebuffed them. They resumed talks on combining once President Donald Trump took office, hoping for more industry-friendly regulators. The companies appealed to Trump’s desire for the U.S. to “win” a global 5G race with China as this faster, more reliable wireless is rolled out and applications are built for it.

Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission agreed in May to back the deal after T-Mobile promised to build out rural broadband and 5G, sell its Boost prepaid brand and keep prices on hold for three years.

But public-interest advocates complained the FCC conditions did not address the problems of the merger—higher prices, less wireless competition—and would be difficult for regulators to enforce.

Attorneys general from 13 states and the District of Columbia then filed a lawsuit to block the deal. They say the promised benefits, such as better networks in rural areas and faster service overall, cannot be verified, while eliminating a major wireless company will immediately harm consumers by reducing competition and driving up prices for cellphone service.

They may not be satisfied with the settlement and choose to press ahead.

A judge must also approve the Justice Department’s settlement.

14004: T-Mobile Is Super Patronizing.

Super Bowl LII served as a stage for divertsity, presenting a handful of patronizing pap including this T-Mobile commercial featuring a multicultural array of babies and voiceover duties by Kerry Washington. According to Advertising Age, the client wrote the spot, then partnered with Laundry Service to produce it. T-Mobile also works with White advertising agencies like Mother and Publicis Seattle, so advocating for equality rings a tad hypocritical. The message ends by declaring, “Change Starts Now. Are You With Us?” Um, no.

Kerry Washington Narrates T-Mobile’s Baby-Filled, Equality-Touting Super Bowl Spot

Brand Takes Uncharacteristically Serious Turn

By George Slefo

Four weeks ago, marketing execs inside T-Mobile were working on what would become the carrier’s fifth consecutive Super Bowl appearance, an ad that was originally intended to poke fun at rivals for having too many fees, or being too uptight. They were following up on a quartet of lighthearted ads in the 2017 Super Bowl, with Kristen Schaal talking about overage fees, Snoop Dogg making weed jokes with Martha Stewart and Justin Bieber dancing.

Although T-Mobile had never done a serious Super Bowl ad, however, it decided to put its initial plans “on the cutting room floor,” according to Nick Drake, exec VP of marketing and experience at T-Mobile. “We decided to focus on this story of equality, and how all of us are born completely equal.”

The 60-second video, dubbed “Little Ones,” shows nine babies as “Scandal” actress Kerry Washington narrates.

“You come in with open minds that we are equal,” Washington says in her voiceover. “Some people may see your differences and may be threatened by them, but you are unstoppable. You will love who you want. You will demand fair and equal pay and you will not allow where you come from dictate where you are going.”

Some 61 percent of T-Mobile’s workforce “is considered minority,” according to Drake, adding that diverse companies are more attractive to millennial consumers.

Drake says his team wrote the spot, which aired during the third quarter of the Super Bowl, and worked with creative agency Laundry Service to help it get its message across.

T-Mobile gave Washington short notice to record her voiceover, but the actress came through four days before the big game (also her birthday), Drake says. “Washington’s voice is iconic,” Drake says. “More importantly, she is someone who truly stands for the subject matter. We felt she was very authentic about the script and I myself was inspired by her 2015 speech at the GLAAD Awards.”

“We passionately believe in the subject matter, and wanted to be a beacon of positivity, and we believe equality and the fundamental statement what we are all born equal is something that everybody in the country would agree on,” Drake says. “We wanted to join this conversation that’s already happening in America.”

Although the spot features only nine babies, 48 were initially brought in for the shoot. “A lot of them were eating the set, or upset,” he says. “Being so young, you have a limited time to work with them, and we shot a lot. There’s a lot of outtakes.”

13159: Sprint Is So Ghetto.

Advertising Age reported Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure pulled a video from his real people “listening tour” featuring a White woman calling competitor T-Mobile “ghetto.” First of all, when will Claure realize his brand has a history of bad advertising starring a CEO? Just stay in your C-suite and figure out how to actually turn around your lame company. Native Bolivian Claure must be taking cultural competency courses with former JWT Worldwide Chairman and CEO (and native Argentinian) Gustavo Martinez. In the meantime, expect to see Campbell Ewald make a pitch for the T-Mobile account.

10094: When Carly Met Chad And Ranjit.

Advertising Age reported on a proposed merger between T-Mobile and MetroPCS. Can hardly wait for the ménage à trois with Carly, Chad and Ranjit.

9606: Carly Too High Maintenance For AT&T?

From USA TODAY…

AT&T gives up on $39 billion bid for T-Mobile USA

Nicola Leske and Sinead Carew, Reuters

(Reuters) - AT&T has dropped its controversial $39 billion bid for Deutsche Telekom’s U.S. wireless unit, bowing to fierce regulatory opposition and leaving both companies scrambling for alternatives.

AT&T will have to find another way to address its shortage of wireless airwaves while Deutsche Telekom has to go back to the drawing board on what to do with T-Mobile USA, the struggling U.S. business it had desperately wanted to shed.

The failure of the deal, which was seen as a tough sell from the very start, may call AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson’s judgment into question as he was clearly surprised by the strength of regulatory opposition.

AT&T, which would have vaulted to first place in the U.S. market if the deal succeeded, was so sure it would win approval that it even promised Deutsche Telekom a record break-up package that will cost it an eye-popping $4 billion this quarter.

Stephenson was caught red faced after promoting the deal on TV the same day the U.S. Justice Department sued to block it. From August to late November many experts were puzzled by the companies’ optimism they would win over the regulators.

“It was definitely a miscalculation (by AT&T),” said Steve Clement, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities.

“I don’t know that it’s such a big deal to the extent that you’re going to have people looking for a change of management (at AT&T). But they definitely miscalculated what they would be able to push through to regulators,” he said.

As for Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann, the break-up package will not be enough to soften the blow of losing a deal that has been described as “almost a dream come true” for the German telephone company. Now Obermann will have to either invest billions more in the U.S. market or find a new way to exit the country.

“There are very few occasions when you are forced to walk away from the table with $4 billion in your pocket and still feel like you’ve just been short-changed,” said Thomas Wehmeier of research firm Informa Telecoms & Media.

AT&T’s Stephenson said the company would continue to invest as it looks to boost its capacity, but he also urged policy-makers to make additional spectrum available.

But the carriers’ options for buying more spectrum were not immediately clear. While AT&T was fighting for approval of its deal, its bigger rival, Verizon Wireless, quietly forged an agreement to buy spectrum from cable operators.

The AT&T deal failure may have other companies thinking twice about acquisitions to bolster their competitive position.

Having to navigate “seemingly insurmountable regulatory hurdles is likely to shake the confidence of would-be consolidators to the core,” Wehmeier said.

After announcing the deal in March, AT&T and Deutsche Telekom in November withdrew their application for Federal Communications Commission approval to focus on addressing Justice Department concerns.

But that plan backfired as the judge presiding over the Justice Department case criticized the withdrawal and gave AT&T and Deutsche Telekom an ultimatum to figure out whether they wanted to go ahead with fighting for the deal or not.

The deal, which was the biggest U.S. acquisition announced this year, was also the boldest move made by Stephenson since he took the helm at AT&T, whose previous CEO, Ed Whitacre, earned a reputation as the industry’s most renowned deal maker.

Deutsche Telekom said the deal would not change its group forecast for 2011 expected earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of around 19.1 billion euros ($24.9 billion).

“It’s a bigger blow to Deutsche Telekom in that they were getting a good price for that mobile asset and I don’t think there’s an alternative that’s nearly as good for them,” Pacific Crest’s Clement said.

Deutsche Telekom had planned to use the proceeds from the sale to pay debt, launch a 5 billion euro ($6.51 billion) share buyback and step up investments at home and in the rest of Europe.

Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup, which advised T-Mobile, and AT&T’s banks, which included Greenhill, Evercore and JPMorgan, stand to lose a total of $150 million in fees, according to earlier estimates from ThomsonReuters/Freeman Consulting.

($1 = 0.7682 euros)

(Reporting by Nicola Leske and Sinead Carew in New York; Additional reporting by Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Steve Orlofsky)

9561: Contextual Disconnect.

Adweek reported on AT&T’s failed attempt to acquire wireless carrier T-Mobile—alongside a banner ad hyping mobile marketing solutions from AT&T.

9540: AT&T-Mobile Not Happening…?

Adweek reported AT&T is close to conceding defeat in its attempt to acquire T-Mobile. Guess Carly Foulkes won’t play the Helen of Troy role in this telecommunications battle.

AT&T All But Gives up on T-Mobile Merger

Last ditch effort to focus on DOJ court case

By Katy Bachman

AT&T looks like it might be ready to give up on its $39 billion proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. Staggering from the Federal Communications Commission’s likely rejection of the deal, AT&T announced on Thanksgiving Day that it has withdrawn its application with the agency. AT&T also said it would take a $4 billion pretax accounting charge, which covers the $3 billion-negotiated break up fee with T-Mobile.

On Tuesday, FCC senior officials said the combination of the two companies would significantly diminish competition and “would result in a massive loss of U.S. jobs and investment.” Unable to approve the merger, the FCC’s review was headed for an administrative law hearing, a lengthy legal process that would have dragged out the approval procedures beyond the drop-dead date to close the deal with T-Mobile.

AT&T isn’t entirely giving up on the deal. In a last ditch effort, AT&T said it would continue to defend the $39 billion merger in court, brought by the Department of Justice. That case begins Feb. 13.

“AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telekom AG are continuing to pursue the sale of Deutsche Telekom’s U.S. wireless assets to AT&T and are taking this step to facilitate the consideration of all options at the FCC and to focus their continuing efforts on obtaining antitrust clearance for the transaction from the Department of Justice either through the litigation pending before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 1:11-cv-01560 (ESH) or alternate means. As soon as practical, AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telekom AG intend to seek the necessary FCC approval,” the company said in a press release.

Public interest groups, which pushed for the death of the merger, called AT&T’s move “an act of desperation.”

“It is time for vainglorious managers at AT&T to accept that there is no way that this deal can obtain approval of the FCC and the courts,” said Andrew Schwartzman, senior vp and policy director for the Media Access Project.

Analysts agree is time for AT&T to stick a fork in it. “All in all, we view this as a step towards concession,” said a Bernstein Research Report.

9052: Sprinting For A Loss.

Adweek reported Sprint is freaking out over AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile. In an attempt to stop the deal, Sprint has more than doubled its 2Q lobbying expenditures, bringing the first-half total to $1.9 million, and inspiring predictions that up to $2.5 million will be spent in 2011. Sprint hopes Washington, D.C., lobbyists can squash the sale, but AT&T countered by spending $11.6 million on lobbying for the first half. Gee, doesn’t Sprint think it can compete by continuing to woo customers with commercials starring CEO Dan Hesse?

Meanwhile, Summer’s Eve will insist the communications companies are actually going to war over the T-Mobile chick’s vagina.

8712: Stuff White People Text.

The annoying White rapper—aka Witness—in this T-Mobile Sidekick 4G commercial deserves a kick upside his head.