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AT&T acquires T-Mobile

This map provided by AT&T shows the projected LTE coverage of Montana after "the future build out" of the network.

AT&T announced this morning that it has acquired competitor T-Mobile, buying the company for $39 billion from its German owners, Deutsche Telekom.

In a statement announcing the deal, AT&T said the purchase was a sign of its commitment to “expand 4G LTE deployment to an additional 46.5 million Americans, including in rural, smaller communities.” The company said this will mean that 95 percent of Americans will have access to the company’s “4G” network. The release also says the deal will help America reach the broadband access goals set forth by the Obama Administration — though it will certainly also help AT&T compete in the increasingly wireless future many predict.

“This transaction represents a major commitment to strengthen and expand critical infrastructure for our nation’s future,” AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said in the release.

AT&T said the purchase will give the company more wireless spectrum to make its service faster and more reliable. When the deal is done, AT&T will “gain cell sites equivalent to what would have taken on average five years to build,” increasing AT&T network density by about 30 percent in some heavily populated areas.

As for Montana, spokesperson Sandy Goldberg sent along maps of the “future build out of the important LTE mobile broadband network” in Montana. It was unclear whether “These maps speak for themselves!” Goldberg wrote.

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