AT&T is dead set on getting its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile past anti-trust regulators, and it’s developing a two-part plan to do so. While one of the telecom giant’s hands is preparing to battle the Justice Department in court, the other will be trying to strike a deal with it, sources tell Reuters. “AT&T is pretty determined they can find a solution,” one source said. “They are pretty confident.”
The company is prepared to make a variety of concessions, including vowing to keep T-Mobile’s prices low, and selling off as much as 25% of T-Mobile’s assets, including airwaves, customers, and more. But one former antitrust enforcer says it’ll be a tough sell, because the only buyers for the national assets would be Verizon and Sprint, and selling to them won’t exactly reassure regulators. (More AT&T stories.)