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"The plot thins.\nSprint is reportedly giving up in its attempt to acquire T-Mobile, a move that had been considered by some to be close to a done deal.\nSee also: 10 Apps You Need to Dominate Your Work Day\nThe decision, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, would remove a major player from what had become a competitive bidding environment for T-Mobile. Sprint declined to comment on the report.\nThe Journal cited a source that said regulatory concerns played a factor in the decision. AT&amp;T's previous attempt to buy T-Mobile for $39 billion hit regulatory difficulty, causing the deal to fall apart and AT&amp;T to pay T-Mobile a $4 billion \"break up\" fee.\nT-Mobile has been an acquisition target for a variety of companies looking to either enter the U.S. telecommunications market or bolster an existing business to better compete with market leaders AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless.\nMergers in the wireless industry have been closely watched by regulators concerned that too few major operators will reduce competition.\nThat hasn't stopped companies from trying. Last week, T-Mobile had attracted yet another possible suitor in French wireless provider Iliad, which bid $15 billion for a little more than half of T-Mobile. That bid could be enhanced by the addition of financing from cable companies Dish, Cox and Charter.\nIliad had asked to see inside the company's books, but T-Mobile rebuffed the advance.\nRegulatory concern had already been kicked up in early August when the Federal Communications Commission looked to stop Sprint and T-Mobile from making joint bids in an upcoming wireless spectrum auctions.\nThe report sent shares in both companies lower in after-hours trading, with T-Mobile off 6.5% and Sprint down around 6%.\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/08/05/sprint-acquisition-t-mobile-no/>