Another day, another turn in the saga involving the AT&T/T-Mobile merger and the two complains filed by both the U.S. DOJ and Sprint.
It was revealed today that the judge in the case between the DOJ and AT&T — Judge Ellen S. Huvelle — has asked that the Justice Department, AT&T, and Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) put together a joint plan for “scheduling and managing” the case by September 16th. The judge also told all the parties involved in the suit that they should be “prepared to discuss the prospects for settlement” at a September 21st hearing.
This is the most likely outcome in my opinion. AT&T has already vowed to a so-called “two-track” plan that includes keeping T-Mobile’s lower priced plan options and agreeing to sell off some of T-Mobile’s assets once the merger is complete. In the DOJ’s case against AT&T, Sharis A. Pozen, the acting assistant attorney general, also said last week that the DOJ’s “door is open” for negotiations, so it seems like all parties will be making several concessions as the deal-making continues. More to come.
