Deutsche Telekom puts sale of T-Mobile US on hold

Deutsche Telekom has put the sale of T-Mobile US on hold to deal with an upcoming auction of radio airwaves, giving potential suitors time to wait for a more favorable political environment toward telecoms mergers, apparently. The Federal Communications Commission is due to start an auction for low-frequency airwaves at the end of this month, which industry observers expect could last for months. "During that period, there will be no M&A activity in the US telecoms sector," apparently. Auction participants are not allowed to engage in any partnership or merger talks during the weeks before and after the bidding process. T-Mobile US, which is 65.4-percent owned by Deutsche Telekom, has said it could spend up to $10 billion in the auction. An auction of AWS-3 airwaves, which ended early 2015, raised a record $44.9 billion. Deutsche Telekom, which declined to comment, has been trying to sell the unit for years, hoping to cash in on a recovery in the business.