Once again rumors of a T-Mobile merger with UScellular are tempered by Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile.
UScellular was reportedly put up for sale and according to the rumor mill, T-Mobile was kicking the tires on a potential purchase. The goal was to help T-Mobile reach its goal of a 20% market share in rural America by 2025. In September, when this rumor started spreading, T-Mobile had 16.5% of the rural market.
When the carrier’s CEO Mike Sievert was asked whether T-Mobile would speed up its rural game plan if an asset was available, the executive said, « Maybe, but I like our Plan A a lot. » He also stated that « the hurdles for M&A would be high » which could have meant financial hurdles or regulatory hurdles. The rumors have died down since then although SDx Central reports that something big happened during the company’s recently held fourth-quarter earnings call.
