Assignment

This articles trace the history of ATT's efforts to acquire T-Mobile. As indicated in the second of the three articles, the US Govt thwarted the deal. Once you've read these first two articles, I'd like you to pause and ask yourself what would you have done - block or approve? And why? Clearly, the cell phone market in the US is an oligopoly, what characteristics do you feel it displays that make it so? Then, I want you to resume reading the third article which discusses what has happened since the deal was rejected by the US Govt. Are you surprised by the behavior of the market participants since the deal's rejection and why? Do you think what has happened in the market since rejection is good for the companies? Consumers? Do you see the behavior of T-Mobile and the reactions of ATT and Verizon as short run actions; what would you expect in the long run - will T-mobile continue to be a disrupter? I have just added a fourth article with some information about another potential merger in the cell phone industry. Does this latest possible transaction seem to be a good idea for the companies? For consumers?

Article: AT&T's Full Cost for Getting T-Mobile by Andrew Ross Sorkin.