[telecom] T-Mobile Turns an Industry on Its Ear

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T-Mobile Turns an Industry on Its Ear

Farhad Manjoo FEB. 26, 2014

A rash of consumer-friendliness has broken out across the mobile data industry. Over the last year, the four major carriers - AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile - have cut prices and offered greater flexibility in how they sell their voice, text and broadband services. The industry could be on the verge of an all-out price war.

Who is responsible for this blessed state of affairs?

Credit must go to the United States government.

In 2011, officials at the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department moved to block AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. That kept the struggling, fourth-place carrier alive as an independent firm. And it led John J. Legere, T-Mobile's flamboyant, foul-mouthed chief executive, to brand his company the "uncarrier," and inaugurate a string of measures that have turned every accepted practice in the mobile business on its head.

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