There has been significant growth and development in the U.S. mobile market, but Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son is not impressed. Sprint, owned by Softbank, is the third largest mobile operator in the country. Son holds the view that 4G networks in the country are “horrible.” He isn’t afraid to look in the mirror, “of course, Sprint is horrible,” Son says. Though he believes that he can fix it if given the opportunity.
The Sprint Chairman is in Washington these days to drum up support for a merger with T-Mobile. The possibility has been making news for the past few months but no official bid has been made up till now. There are fears that U.S. regulators might not be open to the idea, and Son is trying to make a compelling case to change their minds.
Speaking with re/code’s Walt Mossberg, Son says that a merger would T-Mobile would provide Sprint with the scalability it needs to install new technology across the country. He also claims that it would enable them to offer speeds up to 10x the current levels in homes. Son believes that the merger wouldn’t only ensure tougher competition with Verizon and AT&T, but also with cable and landline companies.
He does have the experience under his belt. When Vodafone Japan was bought by Softbank it was “horrible,” Son’s words, not mine. Since the acquisition its network has been greatly improved, Son calls it Japan’s number 1 network. Would this be enough to convince regulators that merging Sprint with T-Mobile would actually increase competition in the U.S. market? Time will tell.
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