On 21st April, AT&T filed its public interest statement with US regulatory body the FCC, removing all information that was considered to give a competitive advantage. Sprint is requesting the full document with all such information included.
Sprint has made its opposition to the deal known going so far as to request that the US government block the deal. There are fears among industry professionals that, should the deal be completed, competition in the country would become limited. According to Bloomberg, Sprint said the deal would stifle competition and make it increasingly difficult for smaller operators to gain access to the best mobile devices.
If the merger goes ahead AT&T would hold a 43% stake of the US market with over 129 million subscribers racing ahead of competitors Verizon wireless and Sprint.
A spokesperson from AT&T explained that competition is already very strong in the US: "Wireless is one of the most competitive industries in the US and will remain so once the AT&T/T-Mobile USA transaction is complete. Today customers can choose from at least 5 different carriers in 18 of the top 20 markets in the U.S."
