METROPCS IN TALKS TO ACQUIRE POST AT&T/T-MOBILE MERGER ASSETS

The likelihood of a successful acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T may largely depend on what the latter is willing to give up. The largest GSM carrier in the US may need to throw a few assets overboard in order to satisfy the Department of Justice, and has reportedly been Rethinking Possible by engaging in discussions with several parties interested in scooping up the leftovers. According to Bloomberg, MetroPCS appears to be the frontrunner in the talks, and plans to meet with the Justice Department (alongside AT&T, of course) in the next two weeks to determine if the strategy will appease the regulating body. No guarantees here, of course: it seems like a lot of assets would have to change hands for MetroPCS -- a regional carrier with roughly nine million subscribers -- to be considered a large enough competitor to assuage the government's concerns here. We can't imagine the Feds would be satisfied with any small offering, considering the Department's filed a lawsuit against Ma Bell to block the merger.