Sprint Attempts To Stop AT&T T-Mobile Merger, AT&T Responds

In what can only be described as the least surprising move ever, Sprint has put their money where their mouth is, and href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/09/06/sprint-sues-to-block-attt-mobile-merger">sued to block the AT&T T-Mobile merger as being anticompetitive. Here’s their release:

Sprint Files Suit to Block Proposed AT&T and T-Mobile Transaction

WASHINGTON (BUSINESS WIRE), September 06, 2011 – Sprint Nextel [NYSE:S] today brought suit against AT&T, Inc., AT&T Mobility, Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile seeking to block the proposed acquisition as a violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the District of Columbia as a related case to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) suit against the proposed acquisition.

“Sprint opposes AT&T’s proposed takeover of T-Mobile,” said Susan Z. Haller, vice president-Litigation, Sprint. “With today’s legal action, we are continuing that advocacy on behalf of consumers and competition, and expect to contribute our expertise and resources in proving that the proposed transaction is illegal.”

Sprint’s lawsuit focuses on the competitive and consumer harms which would result from a takeover of T-Mobile by AT&T. The proposed takeover would: