WASHINGTON (AP) — Sprint Nextel Corp., the No. 3 wireless carrier in the U.S., on Tuesday filed an antitrust lawsuit that seeks to block AT&T Inc. from buying T-Mobile USA.
The Justice Department last week filed a similar suit in the District of Columbia, and Sprint's parallel filing gives it an opportunity to influence that case.
Sprint has opposed AT&T's $39 billion bid to buy T-Mobile USA since the deal was announced in March, saying it would strengthen AT&T, already the second-largest carrier, at the expense of competition. Verizon Wireless, the largest carrier, and AT&T would together serve three-quarters of all wireless subscribers, Sprint claims.
AT&T says the merger will allow it to better serve customers and expand its wireless network.
