After Charter swooped in and flew away with Time Warner, it appeared Comcast was looking elsewhere to execute an acquisition that would shake up the U.S.'s telecom industry. However, now, Comcast has denied reports indicating it has been in talks to acquire T-Mobile.
A person privy to the details of the situation stated that Comcast isn't interested in buying T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom, according to reports.
News of Deutsche Telekom's alleged search for a buyer emerged from Germany's Manager Magazin. The outlet reported that Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile's parent company, has been in talks with several companies but ultimately locked onto Comcast because of its financial strength.
Deutsche Telekom was allegedly hoping Comcast would buy T-Mobile and all of its shares. However, while Comcast may not be interested in acquiring the T-Mobile, the wireless carrier is still in talks with Dish Network about a merger, according reports.
Banks haven't been hired yet, but that could change if Dish Network makes a serious bid for T-Mobile — Dish has been seeking between $10 and $15 billion from banks to make an offer. A deal with Dish Network would likely see T-Mobile retain some of its shares and much of its identity. A merger between the two could better position the both companies to challenge the likes of Comcast and Verizon.
Some analysts believe Comcast just isn't ready for another bout with regulators right now. If Comcast rests up and makes a run at T-Mobile later down the line, many fans of the self-styled "UNcarrier" will assuredly lose faith in the wireless carrier. Here's TmoNews' Cam Bunton initial thoughts on Comcast acquiring T-Mobile before the report was shot down:
"If true, John Legere may as well go back to wearing the dull gray suit and tie like every other passion-less corporate face," writes Bunton. "In other words — I really struggle to see how this would work (except financially). A merger between Comcast and T-Mobile would send all the wrong signals to the market and — most importantly — to T-Mobile's customers."
