1 00:00:04,559 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: What does a T Mobile Sprint merger mean for you? 2 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 1: Amrich Damiro. 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:10,559 Speaker 2: This is Rich on Tech Daily. 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: While in case you haven't heard, T Mobile announced it's 5 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 1: buying Sprint for twenty six billion dollars. The combined company 6 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: would be named T Mobile, and T Mobile CEO John 7 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,319 Speaker 1: Ledger would continue as CEO of the new company. The 8 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 1: two companies are saying that this will be a big 9 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: deal for five G, you know, the next generation wireless network, 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: and the new company is going to be a force 11 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: for positive change in the US wireless video and broadband markets. 12 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: Remember T Mobile recently bought a cable company called Layer three. Now, 13 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: the big thing these two companies are saying is that 14 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: they will build a five G network faster than their competition. 15 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 2: Can. They certainly have the spectrum to do this. 16 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: They estimate that they can get speeds fifteen times faster 17 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: nationwide by twenty twenty four, with lots of customers getting 18 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: speeds one hundred times faster than early four G, which 19 00:00:57,920 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: sounds really good, but let's be honest, early four G 20 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: was pretty slow. The two companies say they're going to 21 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: spend up to forty billion dollars in the first three 22 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: years to invest in their new network and businesses, which 23 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: is forty six percent more than T Mobile and Sprint 24 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: spent combined in the past three years. And what I 25 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: love about facts and figures like this is how in 26 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 1: the past T Mobile would always send out press releases 27 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: saying how they're spending so much on their network, but 28 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: now apparently all that was not enough. Of course, the 29 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: question we all want answers to This sounds great for 30 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: the two companies, but what about me and my bill 31 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 1: and my phone. For starters, T Mobile and Sprint run 32 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: two different types of networks. T Mobile is GSM, Sprint 33 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: is CDMA, but both of them use the newer technology 34 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,399 Speaker 1: called LTE. According to reports, about twenty million phones used 35 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: by Sprint customers can work on both kinds of networks. 36 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: This includes recent iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, so some 37 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: folks would see increased coverage immediately from both networks. Other 38 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: customers might have to upgrade their phones to take advantage 39 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: of a new roaming deal. As for plans, customers would 40 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: probably be able to keep their current plans. Sprint's cheapest 41 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: is sixty dollars a month for unlimited. T Mobile is 42 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: seventy dollars a month. Both also offer add ons like 43 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: HD Video for an extra ten dollars a month. But 44 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: here's what usually happens in circumstances like this. Yes, you 45 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: can keep your plan grandfathered in, but usually the company, 46 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,359 Speaker 1: the new company is going to offer something slightly better 47 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: for a similar price, just so they can get folks 48 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: on a new plan which is less confusing. 49 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 2: So that's what I would expect to happen. 50 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: I would expect to see the new Tea Mobile offer 51 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: some sort of compelling combined plan to entice new customers 52 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: out of the gate, since they will promote increased coverage 53 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,639 Speaker 1: across both networks. Now, when it comes to the new 54 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: five G network they're promising, which could be really fast 55 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: and really a game changer that would definitely require a 56 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 1: new device, But that is still a ways off, so 57 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: you've got lots. 58 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 2: Of time to figure that one out. 59 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: So what about all the perks you might get as 60 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: a subscriber of either Sprint or T Mobile. You know, 61 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: T Mobile has those Tuesdays with all the benefit and 62 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: that free Netflix offer, plus Sprint offers FREEHLU to customers. 63 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: Then you've got Google's Project five, which combines both networks 64 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: into one and many more carriers that latch onto these 65 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: two networks, they call him MVNOs. 66 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 2: All of these deals would probably be up. 67 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,839 Speaker 1: In the air at some point, maybe at renewal time, 68 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: but probably not immediately. Keep in mind, this will be 69 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: a new company that doesn't have to prove as much 70 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: as the old Sprint and Tea Mobile did when they 71 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: were separate and trying to win over customers. This time around, 72 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: they will actually have a pretty decent network to put 73 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: up a good fight, So that leaves the biggest question 74 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: will this deal be approved? While perhaps the President's silence 75 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: on Twitter says a lot, we've heard nothing yet about 76 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: a challenge from the administration, and the focus on a 77 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: five G network seems right in line with what the 78 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: President has talked about wanting before, although he is not 79 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: a huge fan of foreign ownership, especially in the communications sector, 80 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: and with the new Team Mobile, we'd have a German 81 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: and Japanese company having lots of ConTroll over the new company. 82 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 2: That's gonna do it for this episode of the show. 83 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 2: If you liked the podcast, please leave a rating and 84 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 2: review in the Apple. 85 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: Podcast sapp and tell your friends I'm Richie Dmairo You 86 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: can find links to everything I talk about here at 87 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: richontech dot TV. 88 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 2: I'll talk to you real soon.