If U.S. regulators require AT&T to divest assets in order to obtain permission to acquire T-Mobile USA, AT&T could derive at least one benefit from the sales by paying less for the nation’s fourth-largest mobile operator than the $39 billion purchase price, according to a report.
AT&T would be able to pay less than the $39 billion deal if regulators demand asset sales exceeding 20 percent of the purchase price, or roughly $7.8 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing three people with direct knowledge of the purchase contract. AT&T also could reportedly walk away from the pending merger if regulators asked for concessions topping 40 percent of the purchase price.
Meanwhile, a federal judge overseeing the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against AT&T has asked the parties to discuss the prospects of a settlement on Sept. 21 during a status conference, The New York Times reported.
On Aug. 31, the DOJ filed a suit against AT&T in order to block the merger on the basis that the deal is anticompetitive and violates antitrust law. The case is pending before Judge Ellen S. Huvelle of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
Short of any concessions, the merger would make AT&T the largest U.S. wireless operator with more than 132 million subscribers, surpassing market leader Verizon Wireless and increasing its lead over Sprint Nextel, the third-largest wireless provider.
