Conflicting Reports on Whether Comcast Actually Wants T-Mobile

[Poke]

No one knows for sure who going to buy who...

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/...Whether-Comcast-Actually-Wants-TMobile-134218

 

[whitewolf8214]

Oppenheimer: Comcast may be most likely buyer for T-Mobile
Aug 20 2015, 19:29 ET | About: Comcast Corporation (CMCSA)

At least one end result of media consolidation will be all of the big four wireless firms linking up (via merger or alliances) with pay TV, says Oppenheimer's Tim Horan, with a prediction for the four survivors: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint -- and Comcast.
"Regardless of the timing, we expect all four wireless carriers to align with a paid TV provider in some form," Horan says. He writes that Oppenheimer sees Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and T-Mobile (NYSE:TMUS) aligning somehow, though Comcast denied interest in outright acquiring the carrier in June.
Comcast's hand might be forced by AT&T's (NYSE:T) plans for product bundling now that it's closed on DirecTV (NASDAQTV). Charter (NASDAQ:CHTR) -- currently busy trying to acquire Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) -- could deal for wireless as well, as it expands its public Wi-Fi.
Horan also thinks that Verizon (NYSE:VZ) might be the only real buyer for Dish Network's (NASDAQISH) spectrum haul, which might come on the block after the FCC denied Dish $3.3B in spectrum-auction discounts. Oppenheimer sees only a 10% chance that Dish buys T-Mobile.
SoftBank had explored a sale of Sprint (NYSE:S) to TV providers including Comcast and Altice, unsuccessfully, and a potential merger with T-Mobile is considered at least as far off as the 2016 presidential election.
http://seekingalpha.com/news/274025...-be-most-likely-buyer-for-t-mobile#email_link

 

[jegrant]

Ick! As someone who recently switched to T-Mobile, the fact that it was an independent provider was a big selling point. If Comcast and T-Mobile merge, I'd only be in favor if the Comcast management is fired, and the T-Mobile folks run the combined company. Someone who actually seems to care about the consumer.

 

[harshness]

T-Mobile isn't entirely independent as it has partnerships with some of the also-ran wireless services like MetroPCS.

Come to think of it, with a Comcast acquisition, some of those relationships might get a little weird.