T-Mobile's a wily competitor; let's keep it that way

[Commentary] T-Mobile is one of the few bright lights in the wireless industry. Here's hoping that regulators ensure that it stays in the game.

That's a big question right now because, according to published reports, the company, which has aggressively taken on its peers over the last year, is in talks to merge with one of them -- Sprint. No deal has been announced, but negotiations between the two companies appear to be serious. Sprint officials recently talked to federal antitrust regulators about a potential deal, according to The Wall Street Journal, and T-Mobile CEO John Legere has spoken favorably of a possible merger, saying the combined company would be in a better position to battle the "duopoly" of Verizon and AT&T. Regulators have indicated they would be skeptical of a merger. But whatever they may be saying now, they have rarely stood up for competition in this industry. So there's reason for concern.

Let's hope federal regulators see things the same way and block any attempted merger. Because T-Mobile has offered just what consumers have needed: some good, old-fashioned competition.