So much goes on in the telecom world it's hard to keep track of it all. Just in case you blinked at some point in the week, we're here with a slightly irreverent recap of the hottest stories in telecom this week.
Dear John ...
Last weekend, Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP) CEO S. Douglas Hutcheson was putting the finishing touches on a letter rejecting rival MetroPCS' (NYSE:PCS) offer to buy the company. Besides being "completely inadequate," the deal was said to "dramatically undervalue" Leap Wireless. MetroPCS put forth its own reply, calling Leap's expectations "highly unrealistic." Like a quarrelsome couple fighting in a restaurant, this dysfunctional relationship is likely to be further played out in public for everyone to watch. Set your TiVo -- you don't want miss any Jerry Springer-esque slapping and hair-pulling.
Hugs all around
On a more harmonious note, SunCom Wireless warmed up to the advances of Deutsche Telekom (NYSE:DT) and agreed to merge with the German giant's wireless division, T-Mobile. Maybe it was the 23% premium T-Mobile offered to SunCom's stock price that smoothed things over, as the boards of both companies have already approved the merger. Or maybe it was peer pressure from larger rivals AT&T (NYSE:T) and Verizon (NYSE:VZ), which have already moved to snap up smaller players. Either way, it's nice to know that fairy-tale endings do happen, after all.
Got you covered
Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) this week marked an important leap into so-called "converged" services with its trial of a small base station product that hooks up to your broadband connection. Calls then get directed out over the Web. The device should dramatically improve coverage for any Sprint phone indoors, but comes with a price -- $15 per month for individuals or $30 per family. Just in case you weren't already paying enough for cellular service.
French Apple
And finally, if you don't know that Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) Steve Jobs was in Europe this week launching the iPhone in Germany, France, and the U.K., well, you really do live under a rock. Many Europeans will get their iPhone fix when it launches in November, just in time for the holidays. With its price tag north of $500, I guess Jobs is figuring Brits and their brethren needed at least a few weeks to save up the money.
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