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It looks like the No. 4 and No. 5 U.S. carriers will now be one if they can get by Federal Communications Commission regulatory approval.
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Both carriers are big Android supporters (neither carry Apple’s iPhone); MetroPCS’s 3G network is CDMA, but T-Mobile’s is HSPA+, so they will not be able to share signal with customers on each other’s network. T-Mobile is likely thinking long term, though, considering Metro PCS has been building a LTE network since 2010. The knock on MetroPCS is that it does not have the backhaul to support the speedy LTE lines. T-Mobile could come in handy there.
It is not clear if the combined entity would surpass Sprint to become the country’s third-largest carrier.
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