What will happen with T-mobile merger? (Seattle, Bellevue: lease, house, job market)

[JCJOFamily2017]

Hi all!
First time posting here, but I have been reading these forums for quite some time and finally decided to create an account and post! I'm curious what you all hear out there about the likely T-mobile/Sprint merger in terms of jobs etc. My husband and I live in the KC area with our 2 kids and he currently works for Samsung supporting the Sprint account. We visited Seattle for our anniversary last year and loved it and are hoping to get to move to Seattle if Samsung closes this office here. But things seem so uncertain at this point! I was curious if you all hear any information about this possible merger because T-mobile is out in Bellevue, and if so, have you heard much on how the job market will be affected by this.

I greatly appreciate your feedback!!

Thanks!

[Hemlock140]

There has been very little known about it, nothing in the news here other than a brief mention and that T-Mobile would likely remain as now and simply absorb the Sprint customers. There is a huge difference in incomes and cost of living between the two cities that people need to be aware of.

KC median family income $50,000, home price $236,000.

In Bellevue that's $95,000, $820,000.

Many of the T-Mobile employees have long commutes from less expensive areas where homes are closer to $350k.

[JCJOFamily2017]

Yes, that cost of living factor is a major downside and concern should we get moved to the Bellevue area. We currently live in a very wealthy area right now with our house value at $350,000 and my husband makes $120k. In this area you can live quite comfortably with those numbers...in Seattle I see that is not the case! I would assume he would get a cost of living increase but who knows if that is enough to make it work out there. We certainly wouldn't be living as comfortably there as we are here.

[Thom52]

Relocating will probably not be a problem.
I have a friend that works for T-mobile at the Bothell office.
His observation is that T-mobile is mostly outsourcing jobs off-shore, and relying on inexpensive, less trained, imported contract labor.

He is on contract with T-mobile and spends a lot of time training off-shore and imported contract people. He lives in Renton and commutes a couple hours each way on a 50 mile (each way) commute, to have affordable housing.

Good luck.

I also notice he does NOT use T-mobile as a carrier. They have amazingly crappy coverage.

[Beautiful View]

IF a merger is announced, is approved and goes through, it's highly probably that T-Mobile management will be the ones running the combined entity given they've been kicking Sprint's butt and really been the only growing wireless carrier over the past 3 years.

The big value of the merger would be cost synergies (aka laying redundant people off and reducing lease footprint) and capex synergies (spending less on building out the network and distribution). So with T-Mobile management in place, you can bet that many on the Sprint side will be looking for new jobs if the new company doesn't need two people doing their jobs. For the jobs left, I'm guessing the new company would rather leave as many non-HQ critical jobs in KC as possible given the lower labor costs.

[Canamlian]

Originally Posted by Thom52

I also notice he does NOT use T-mobile as a carrier. They have amazingly crappy coverage.

Works fine as long as you don't live in or need to go to the boonies. Within Seattle and the Eastside there's not a huge difference in coverage vs Verizon and AT&T and it's usually faster. Start to go off the beaten path, though...

[Botev1912]

T-Mobile is supposed to have the best coverage in the US in the next few years. They already offer free roaming in over 140 countries on 6 continents.

[Thom52]

I am mystified as to why anyone would move to Seattle with no plans to go "into the boonies"?


Maybe promises of "best coverage", but my experience as a hiker is their motto should be... "if you aren't in a mall, why the hell do you need phone coverage"?

I had T-mobile for a bunch of years. Coverage was a joke.

[homesinseattle]

I switched from Verizon to T Mobile a couple years ago for price. Three days later, after numerous dropped calls, I walked back in the store, asked them what the problem was. They told me my calls dropped must be way out in the country and acted like it was my fault when I told them most were between Capitol Hill and Northgate. I asked to be let out of my contract. They said "impossible". I walked out to my car, brought my equipment into the store, dumped it in the counter, asked again. The guy again said no. I kept raising the tone and volume of my voice with a store full of customers, even threatened to go outside and picket the store over principle. In a matter of minutes, the manager came over and did what I asked.

I was back to Verizon with my tail between my legs the next day. Their coverage has never let me down, even in pretty rural areas. My total bill, which used to be $170, has come down and is $120 now.