a t & T-Mobile

Consumers are wondering whether the acquisition (subject to government approval) of T-Mobile, by telecom giant A T & T will be good for them or bad.

I am a T-Mobile customer and have been since 2005. I like their service. I've a plan that suits me just fine and costs me under $60/month. Their customer service has always been cooperative and if, on extremely rare occasions, I had a beef on their billing, they resolved it to my satisfaction.

A T & T is my land line provider. I mainly use it for my computers and taking recorded statements in my work as a claims adjuster. I've a plan with them that also suits me just fine. I've had no problem with their customer service either.

According to ABC News.com:

While the two companies will have to work out some technical differences in their telecom marriage, analysts said that the combination of the two networks would likely provide a strong nationwide network.

"Merging the two networks means that you're going to have a nationwide 3G and 4G network that's really able to serve almost Americans," said Sascha Segan, lead analyst for mobile at PCMag.com. Rural T-Mobile residents could benefit from AT&T's network, and city-dwellers (yes, even those with iPhones) could get a boost from T-Mobile, he said.

But in a blog post written today, Consumer Reports' Paul Reynolds said the two carriers' data networks are "literally on different wavelengths, which might pose compatibility problems." The smartphones for the different carriers run on different parts of the wireless spectrum, he pointed out.

An AT&T-T-Mobile deal also likely means the end of T-Mobile's lower prices and friendly service, analysts said.

This makes me wonder: Will I have to buy a new phone? Will my rates jump for the same service plan? Will I be able to keep my service plan? Will I be forced to take features I have no interest in? Will there be hidden charges?

The jury is out on all of these. We'll just have to wait and see.