Wireless Phone Industry: : French company Iliad wants to buy T-Mobile and ruin Sprint's grand plan - by Chris Welch

Wireless Phone Industry

We may soon see a bidding war for T-Mobile. French telecom company Iliad has put in a $15 billion, all-cash bid for the company that would give it a controlling stake of 56.6 percent.

The news throws a huge wrench into the months-long narrative that Sprint is preparing to buy its smaller competitor. T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom and Sprint have already reached a tentative agreement that would ultimately combine the third and fourth place US carriers, according to previous reports.

But Iliad gives T-Mobile another path in taking the fight to its rivals. The Wall Street Journal first reported Iliad's interest in T-Mobile on Thursday afternoon.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere has never publicly confirmed any deal with Sprint, a point he underlined during today's financial earnings call. Such an acquisition would face intense scrutiny from federal regulators; AT&T's attempt to buy T-Mobile was rebuffed over concerns that it would irreparably harm competition in the US wireless industry, and Sprint will have to contend with the very same argument if it moves forward. Iliad seems to think its odds are better since it currently has no presence whatsoever in the United States.

Read more: French company Iliad wants to buy T-Mobile and ruin Sprint's grand plan | The Verge

Antitrust Laws: AT&T Swallows Yet Another Media Company - by Mark Fior

We have to decrease competition in order to increase competition! Sit back, relax and get ready for humongous corporations to explain how fewer choices mean more and better choices. (Or so goes one of the arguments in support of the AT&T and DirecTV deal.)

It seems like another telecom merger is happening every day and soon there will be one gargantuan company that is in charge of every single cable, phone and internet connection in the United States.

These mergers wouldn't bother me if they involved companies making things like toasters or cars, but these are the guys who control the flow of information.

They already wield enormous power and that power is consolidating. Sure, we may have super-duper high speed connections and the convenience of a single (overpriced) bill, but at what cost?

Read more: "Antitrust Us!" AT&T Swallows Yet Another Media Company | Alternet

AT&T Is Europe Obsessed, Ignoring The Real Growth Markets - by Jasper Hamill

To some observers, the mobile communications market in Europe is hidebound, rule-bound and stuck in its ways. Yet despite the obvious opportunities on offer in developing nations, the American communications giant AT&T appears to have a perplexing fascination with the old world. Even though it has now dismissed the idea of taking over the British firm Vodaphone, many industry gossips still feel that AT&T is still mulling some kind of European invasion in the future.

There is some sense in such a strategy. If the American telecoms giant were to press forward with a Vodafone takeover at some later juncture, it would create a huge company worth about £150billion ($249billion) with a reach stretching across the continent. Seeing as Europe has been notoriously slow to take up 4G mobile broadband, there could be a huge potential windfall for any firm which can persuade the Continent to upgrade from hoary old 3G. 

There is some sense in such a strategy. If the American telecoms giant were to press forward with a Vodafone takeover at some later juncture, it would create a huge company worth about £150billion ($249billion) with a reach stretching across the continent. Seeing as Europe has been notoriously slow to take up 4G mobile broadband, there could be a huge potential windfall for any firm which can persuade the Continent to upgrade from hoary old 3G.

Read more: AT&T Is Europe Obsessed, Ignoring The Real Growth Markets - Forbes

NSA spy scandal may stop AT&T's ambitions to expand in Europe - by Etienne Franchi

As leaks pertaining to secretive National Security Agency programs continue to surface, the international community at large is voicing concerns against the United States government. Now telecommunication providers could come under fire as well.

According to recent reports, an attempt by US-based telecom giant AT&T to acquire Europe’s Vodafone company might be easier said than done as the unauthorized leaking of top-secret NSA documents continue to paint not just the US intelligence agency in poor light, but also the private industry participants linked to the government’s surveillance programs.

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that AT&T’s plan to expand on the other side of the Atlantic was being questioned after officials from Germany and other European nations voiced concern over the relationship between the US telecom and the NSA.

Should AT&T follow through with rumors to acquire Vodafone, the purchase would put the American company directly involved in one of the largest corporate acquisitions ever, the Journal reported. On the other hand, though, journalists with the magazine said, “Europe's anger over the NSA's collection of electronic communications has reduced the likelihood a European deal could happen anytime soon.”

AT&T, along with Verizon and others, have been directly linked by NSA contractor-turned-leaker Edward Snowden as working in-cahoots with government eavesdropping operations. Upon recent reports made possible through Snowden’s disclosures in which it was detailed that the NSA snooped on the likes of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and even the Pope, European lawmakers may look towards limiting any possible deal between AT&T and an overseas entity such as Vodafone.

 Read more: NSA scandal may stop AT&T's ambitions to expand in Europe — RT USA