paid, prepaid, and wholesale. Connections refer to the number the number of subscribers. However, some customers have more than one account if they have multiple cellular devices. Prior to proposed merger of Sprint Wireless and T-Mobile USA Figure is approximate due to the fact that C Spire Wireless is a private company. Industry consolidation that results in near-monopoly conditions has ramifications for customers as well as competitors. For customers, it can mean higher prices and less innovation. This is because monopolies have few incentives to be competitive with regard to prices or developing new features to attract customers. Smaller mobile competitors suffer the disadvantage of higher operating costs. For example, large carriers have the clout to bargain for discounts on quantity purchases www.TechnicalPDF.com of cell phones and network equipment. These discounts are often unavailable to small carriers. Another disadvantage is that smaller providers don't have the resources to mount large TV and Internet advertising campaigns; thus, it's more difficult to attract new customers. In addition to the resources to launch broader advertising campaigns, large mobile carriers have the financial strength to lease spectrum needed for additional capacity and fifth-generation data networks. It's unclear if T-Mobile will raise prices if the merger is approved. Until now, T-Mobile for the most part has had lower rates than Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility. In addition, T-Mobile was the first carrier to offer unlimited voice and data plans for a fixed monthly fee. Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility followed suit, offering their own unlimited plans, which they have mostly deleted. These unlimited plans are particularly favorable for subscribers that stream video from companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and others. Analyzing the Impact of a Merger on Consumers and Competition Mergers between large telecommunications companies require approval of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Just