FCC Delays Review Of Sprint-T-Mobile Merger

(RTTNews) - The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday said it needs more time to review the proposed merger deal between Sprint and T-Mobile.

"Today we are pausing the Commission's informal 180-day transaction shot clock in this proceeding. Additional time is necessary to allow for thorough staff and third-party review of newly submitted and anticipated modeling relied on by the Applicants," the agency wrote in a letter to the companies.

In April, T-Mobile US (TMUS), a unit of German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom (DTEGY.PK), agreed to merge with Sprint Corp. (S), a unit of Softbank Group Corp., in an all stock deal.

The combined company, which will be named T-Mobile, will be a force for positive change in the U.S. wireless, video, and broadband industries, the firms said.

The combination is expected to supercharge T-Mobile's Un-carrier strategy and to light up a broad and deep 5G network faster than either company could separately.

The FCC said it was pausing the proceeding because of two new and complicated submissions from the companies and a third submission that the FCC has not yet received.

"We also understand that these models may interact with or support one another in ways still unknown to the Commission and third parties. It will take time to evaluate, understand the relationships between, and prepare responses to these models. Moreover, those evaluations may also require additional information and explanation about the new modeling," the agency said.