NEW YORK — The Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into whether AT&T, Verizon and a standards-setting group worked together to stop consumers from easily switching wireless carriers. The companies confirmed the inquiry in separate statements late Friday in response to a report in The New York Times. The U.S. government is looking into whether AT&T, Verizon and telecommunications standards organization GSMA worked together to suppress a technology that lets people remotely switch wireless companies without having to insert a new SIM card into their phones. Verizon, which is based in New York, derided the accusations on the issue as “much ado about nothing” in its statement. Verizon and AT&T are the two leading wireless carriers, with a combined market share of about 70 per cent.

Source: National Post April 20, 2018 23:37 UTC