T-Mobile CFO makes case for US consolidation, Sprint deal

T-Mobile US Chief Financial Officer Braxton Carter said that he expected more consolidation in the US wireless market and made a case for a deal between his company and bigger rival Sprint.

Carter declined to say whether T-Mobile US, the No. 4 US mobile provider, and Sprint, the No. 3 US operator, had talked. "It's the logical ultimate combination," Carter said. He conceded that the current US regulatory environment was "tough" for consolidation as the government already blocked T-Mobile's proposed sale to AT&T in 2011, saying that the market needed four national operators. He said a deal involving the smaller national operators would be good for the industry. He described the US market as a "duopoly" because AT&T and larger rival Verizon Wireless are far bigger than T-Mobile and Sprint. So if a consolidation resulted in a much bigger No. 3 rival to AT&T and Verizon, "you create a more competitive environment," Carter said.