INTHEUNITEDSTATESDISTRICTCOURTFORTHEDISTRICTOFCOLUMBIA
UNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA,DepartmentofJustice,AntitrustDivision4505thStreet,N.W.,Suite7000Washington,D.C.20530
Plaintiff,
v.
AT&TINC.,OneAT&TPlaza208SouthAkardStreetDallas,Texas75202T-MOBILEUSA,INC.,12920SE38
th
StreetBellevue,Washington98006andDEUTSCHETELEKOMAG,Friedrich-Ebert-AlleeBonn,GermanyD-53113
Defendants.
Case:1:11-cv-01S60AssignedTo:Huvelle,Ellen
S.
Assign.Date:
8/31/2011
Description:Antitrust
COMPLAINTTheUnitedStatesofAmerica,actingunderthedirectionoftheAttorneyGeneraloftheUnitedStates,bringsthiscivilactiontoenjointhemergeroftwoofthenation'sfourlargestmobilewirelesstelecommunicationsservicesproviders,AT&TInc.
("AT&T")
andT-MobileUSA,Inc.
("T
-Mobile"),andtoobtainequitableandotherreliefasappropriate.Plaintiffallegesasfollows:
 
1.
NATUREOFTHEACTION
1.MobilewirelesstelecommunicationsservicesarevitaltotheeverydaylivesofhundredsofmillionsofAmericans.Fromtheirmodestbeginningsinthe1980s,whenhandsetswerethesizeofabrickandcoverageareaswerelimited,mobilewirelesstelecommunicationsdeviceshaveevolvedintoaprofusionofsmartphones,featurephones,tablets,datacards,e-readers,andotherdevicesthatusethenationwidemobilewirelesstelecommunicationsnetworks.MobilewirelesstelecommunicationsserviceshavebecomeindispensiblebothtothewayweliveandtothewaycompaniesdobusinessthroughouttheUnitedStates.Innovationinwirelesstechnologydrivesinnovationthroughoutour21st-centuryinformationeconomy,helpingtoincreaseproductivity,createjobs,andimproveourdailylives.Vigorouscompetitionisessentialtoensuringcontinuedinnovationandmaintaininglowprices.2.OnMarch20,2011,AT&TenteredintoastockpurchaseagreementtoacquireT-Mobilefromitsparent,DeutscheTelekomAG("DT"),andtocombinethetwocompanies'mobilewirelesstelecommunicationsservicesbusinesses("TransactionAgreement").AT&T,withapproximately98.6millionconnectionstomobilewirelessdevices,andT-Mobile,withapproximately33.6millionconnections,servecustomersthroughouttheUnitedStates,withnetworksthateachreachthehomesofatleast90percentoftheU.S.population.AT&TandT-Mobilearetwoofonlyfourmobilewirelessproviderswithnationwidenetworksandavarietyofcompetitiveattributesassociatedwiththatnationalscaleandpresence.TheothertwonationwidenetworksareoperatedbyVerizonWireless("Verizon")andSprintNextelCorp.("Sprint").Althoughsmallerprovidersexist,theyaresignificantlydifferentfromthesefour.Forinstance,noneofthesmallercarriers'voicenetworkscoverevenone-thirdoftheU.S.population,andthelargestofthesesmallercarriershaslessthanone-thirdthenumberof
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wirelessconnectionsasT-Mobile.Similarly,regionalcompetitorsoftenlackanationwidedatanetwork,nationallyrecognizedbrands,significantnationwidespectrumholdings,andtimelyaccesstothemostpopularhandsets.Collectively,the"BigFour"-AT&T,T-Mobile,Verizon,andSprint-providemorethan90percentofserviceconnectionstoU.S.mobilewirelessdevices.3.Duetotheadvantagesarisingfromtheirscaleandscopeofcoverage,eachoftheBigFournationwidecarriersisespeciallywell-positionedtodrivecompetition,atbothanationalandlocallevel,inthisindustry.T-Mobileinparticular-acompanywithaself-described"challengerbrand,"thathistoricallyhasbeenavalueprovider,andthatevenwithinthepastfewmonthshadbeendevelopinganddeploying"disruptivepricing"plans-placesimportantcompetitivepressureonitsthreelargerrivals,particularlyintermsofpricing,acriticallyimportantaspectofcompetition.AT&T'seliminationofT-Mobileasanindependent,low-pricedrivalwouldremoveasignificantcompetitiveforcefromthemarket.Additionally,T-Mobile'sinvestmentinanadvancedhigh-speednetworkanditsinnovationsintechnologyandmobilewirelesstelecommunicationsserviceshaveprovided,andcontinuetoprovide,consumerswithsignificantvalue.Thus,unlessthisacquisitionisenjoined,customersofmobilewirelesstelecommunicationsserviceslikelywillfacehigherprices,lessproductvarietyandinnovation,andpoorerqualityservicesduetoreducedincentivestoinvestthanwouldexistabsentthemerger.BecauseAT&T'sacquisitionofT-MobilelikelywouldsubstantiallylessencompetitioninviolationofSection7oftheClaytonAct,15U.S.c.§18,theCourtshouldpermanentlyenjoin
thisacquisition.
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