The U.S. wireless industry is dominated by four major players: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. But how did we go from the days of one giant landline monopoly to four competitive cell companies? Illustration: Shaumbe Wright/WSJT-Mobile and Sprint, the U.S.’s third- and fourth-largest wireless carriers, have finally inked a merger, after four years of twists and turns. For SoftBank, Sprint’s controlling shareholder, the $26 billion deal is a case of better-late-than-never, coming about six months after the two companies officially called off previous talks. The bumpy journey to this point, though, has highlighted the risks of investing in the Japanese technology conglomerate and its mercurial chairman Masayoshi Son.

Source: Wall Street Journal April 30, 2018 09:34 UTC