It would be difficult for the U.S. Justice Department to approve a merger between any of the top four U.S. wireless phone companies, said William Baer, assistant attorney general for the antitrust division, the New York Times reported on Thursday.Baer's comments came amid speculation that T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp might announce a deal in coming months.He said any deal would face intense scrutiny because consumers had enjoyed "much more favorable competitive conditions" since the division blocked a proposed merger between AT&T Inc and T-Mobile in 2011, the Times reported. ()"It's going to be hard for someone to make a persuasive case that reducing four firms to three is actually going to improve competition for the benefit of American consumers," he told the newspaper, without referring to any specific deal.
AT&T Inc. (AT&T) is a holding company and a provider of telecommunications services in the United States and worldwide. Shares of T traded higher by 0.12% or $0.04/share to $33.35. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $33.09 and as high as $39.00. On average, 22209600 shares of T exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 29082532.
Shares of TMUS fell by 1.03% or $-0.32/share to $30.73. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $16.01 and as high as $34.10. On average, 7589820 shares of TMUS exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 8107989.
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