As expected AT&T has filed with the FCC its Public Interest Statement regarding the proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. The filing is designed to demonstrate the benefits of the merger with specific emphasis on how a combined 4G LTE network could cover 97& of the US population. Originally thought to cover 95% of the population AT&T conducted a more thorough survey and determined they would be increase the reach of the network to 97.3%.

Some more highlights of the filing:

• AT&T faces network constraints more severe than that of their competition as the mobile data on their network has surged by a jawdropping 8000% between 2007 and 2010.
• AT&T is using spectrum at an accelerating rate and based on current projections would in just the first five-to-seven weeks of 2015 equal the mobile data usage they carried in all of 2010.
• The merger provides the “surest, fastest and most efficient solution” to connecting every part of America to the digital age, creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.
• The merger will provide customers a better network experience with a reduction in dropped and blocked calls, improved building coverage and a dramatically expanded deployment of next-gen mobile technology.
• A significant number of current T-Mobile cell sites will be folded into the AT&T network. Network integration could begin in as little as nine months after the merger is finalized and will equate to “instant” cell splits thereby “increasing cell density and effectively doubling the amount of network traffic that can be carried using existing spectrum in the areas served by those cell sites.”

The full report is available at MobileEverything.com

BusinessWire