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Report: Justice Department close to approving Sprint, T-Mobile merger

Posted at 10:59 AM, Jul 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-24 12:13:38-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Department of Justice appears ready to approve the $26.5 billion merger between wireless carriers T-Mobile and Sprint, according to a report.

CNBC, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Justice Department will announce its approval on Thursday on the condition that T-Mobile sells some of its assets to Dish Network.

Dish will reportedly pay $1.4 billion for T-Mobile’s prepaid mobile business and $3.6 billion for spectrum assets.

Overland Park-based Sprint and Bellevue, Washington-based T-Mobile announced plans to merge in April 2018.

In June, a group of state attorneys general filed a federal lawsuit to block the merger, arguing the move would ultimately harm consumers.

The two companies have said the new T-Mobile will maintain a secondary headquarters on Sprint’s Overland Park campus, with the main headquarters in Washington state.

A Wichita-based real estate development company recently purchased the 190-acre Sprint campus in a $250.9 million deal.