Shareholders Approve Sprint, Nextel Merger
By DAVID TWIDDY, AP Business Writer
56 minutes ago 7/13/05

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Shareholders gave overwhelming support to Sprint Corp.'s $35 billion acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. on Wednesday, in another step toward creating the nation's No. 3 wireless company.

Meeting in Reston, Va., more than 70 percent of Nextel shareholders voted to approve the deal. At least 96 percent of Sprint shareholders, meeting in Overland Park, Kan., approved the deal.

The combination, which still requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department, forms a company with more than 40 million wireless customers and $40 billion in annual revenue.

It also creates a solid competitor to industry leaders Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless. While the deal's effects on consumers is unclear, it will likely continue the drive in wireless toward lower prices, faster Internet speeds and expanded add-ons for cell phones, ranging from ringtones to games to video programming.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.


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Layoffs pending.

Along with less competative pricing for all.


.yippie.


So, will it be the "NASCAR Sprint Cup" now?


c-

So, will my shitty cell phone service from Sprint improve, or will Nextel's decline?

to be continued.....

Cingular merged with someone and my reception got worse.

same here, they bought AT&T wireless and I think they're trying to phase out AT&T's old network in favor of GSM network. I had to switch over phones because of dropped calls and no signal problems

I lose calls on I-40 all the time. In the same spots. There's really no excuse for there not being a signal on a major interstate.

There could be a good excuse. They may not be able to put a tower up in that area because of local regulatory authorities. It is becoming increasingly hard for telecom companies and tower companies to put towers up due to local/state governments. Most places are putting severe restrictions on where you can place towers. Where abouts on I-40, I can look it up and see if we have any towers over there?

Cuts through NC. I ride it from Raleigh to Chapel Hill.

We have towers through that whole area, not many of them have Cingular equipment on them or AT&T. You should call and complain, they won't do anything unless people complain.

I know exactly where one spot is. I'll have to try and find the the other one.

I can't use my Nextel (work) phone from my house (in Gilroy). I have to stand outside, and stay perfectly still. Sort of defeats the purpose of "mobile phone service" eh? The Walkie-Talkie thing won't work at all from my house. Nextel (service) blows. Their Customer Service is also the worst, ever, in the history of worst all-time service. I'm glad that I don't actually pay for my phone because given a choice, I wouldn't have a phone at all (neither land line nor cell).