The two biggest mobile operators in the U.S. are fiercely competitive and closely matched in size. So will AT&T's proposed multibillion-dollar acquisition of Leap Wireless change the balance?
Market figures and interviews with analysts suggest it won't, but they also show that today's complex mobile industry may need new ways to define success.
Late last week, AT&T announced its intention to acquire Leap, operator of the Cricket prepaid mobile service and one of the last remaining large regional carriers in the U.S.
In addition to paying about $1.2 billion for Leap's stock, AT&T will assume the company's debts of $2.8 billion. Leap has approximately 5 million customers, and AT&T plans eventually to migrate them from Leap's CDMA network to its own GSM-based technology. Eventually, they'll converge on 4G LTE, which both companies already use.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon