AT&T said that, if it's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile were to fall through, it'd hand a break-up fee over to Magenta that would include $3 billion in cash and $1 billion worth of spectrum. Well, the deal did indeed fail, and now it looks like AT&T is ready to pony up its spectrum. Today AT&T and T-Mobile filed the necessary paperwork with the FCC in order to seek the agency's approval of the spectrum transfer that's been promised to T-Mobile. The spectrum in question includes AWS coverage in 128 markets, including 12 of the top 20 markets in the U.S.
It's not really a surprise to see AT&T handing over this spectrum to T-Mobile, but hey, it's still good to see AT&T following through with its side of the deal. I'm sure T-Mobile is pretty happy to be gaining so much spectrum, which it says will be used to "help meet the growing demand for wireless broadband services" and to aid in keeping pace with its competitors. There's no word yet on when the transfer is expected to be completed, but I'm sure we'll be hearing more when it is. Stay tuned.
