The pendulum is beginning to swing away from approval of the AT&T/T-Mobile deal, but whatever the result of the court action early next year, expect some potentially earth-shaking changes. Laws forbid anybody talking about any deal other the one on the table now, but rest-assured there's a lot of talking behind the scenes. Everyone now needs a "Plan B." Just because they can't talk about it doesn't mean there isn't planning for it.
Since the deal was first announced, several companies now have some spectrum to sell, to buy, or utilize. These include a number of cable, satellite and broadband operators that could either offer their spectrum to a newly-independent T-Mobile, or grab some spectrum that gets spun off as a result of any AT&T divestiture.
Either way, expect this quiet period to be followed by big fireworks next spring. There are a number of players who may jump into the wireless arena in a big way. Consider Google, Apple, Microsoft, and some names we've never thought of. Your captain has turned on the fasten seat belts sign.
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