Sprint to Regulators: Block AT&T's Bid for T-Mobile

Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) urged regulators to block AT&T Inc's (NYSE:T) $39 billion bid to buy Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA.

Sprint, the No. 3 U.S. mobile carrier, said in a statement on Monday that the transaction would harm consumers and competition.

"Sprint will fight this attempt by AT&T to undo the progress of the past 25 years and create a new Ma Bell duopoly," said Vonya McCann, Sprint's senior vice president of government affairs.

Sprint already faces tough competition from its two bigger rivals, AT&T and Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone Group Plc (NASDAQ:VOD).

The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile USA, the No. 4 U.S. operator, would leapfrog Verizon Wireless as market leader.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department are expected to take at least a year to review the proposed merger.