With the proposed merger between Sprint and T-Mobile looking more likely than ever before, consumers and cell phone tower owners are justifiably concerned about what this will mean for them. Merger plans have led speculation that this merger could reduce as many as 25,000 existing cell phone towers and eliminate some flexibility in cellular choices for consumers.

In the past, when there were many more cellular carriers across the country, mergers had mixed effects. To provide some perspective from the past toward what might lie ahead with this proposed merger, The Wall Street Journalhas released a short video “The modern cell carrier: How we got here”.

While this video doesn’t definitively tell us what may be ahead, it does provide a quick look at the history of competition and mergers in the cellular industry and the forces and technology that may effect consumers and cell phone tower owners in the future. This historical look back at the telecom industry ends by with the statement that“regulators will have to consider whether the new (telecom) giants will foster competition or stifle it”

If you have questions or concerns about how the Sprint/T-Mobile might affect your tower leases, one of the ground lease experts at Crescendo would be happy to speak with you about your specific concerns and situation, call us at 203.972.3200 or email us.