Rich Fiscus
3 Nov 2011 6:08
Antitrust lawsuits opposing the buyout of T-Mobile USA by AT&T will be allowed to continue thanks to a ruling by a federal judge.
Sprint and C-Spire (formerly Cellular South) are seeking to block the purchase on the grounds it will give AT&T the ability to get exclusive handset deals.
Although several portions of both companies' complaints were thrown out by the judge, The Washington Post reports both carriers will be allowed to continue pursuing their lawsuits on some of their claims.
The suits are in addition to the antitrust action being pursued by the Justice Department.
AT&T is currently the second largest of four US mobile carriers who provide nationwide coverage. Sprint is the third largest, followed by T-Mobile.
C-Spire Wireless is a regional carrier located in the southeastern part of the country.
The deal has been plagued by questions about the truthfulness of AT&T claims about the necessity of buying T-Mobile to provide LTE coverage and whether it will result in more or fewer jobs.