T-Mobile announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Layer3 TV Inc. The "Un-Carrier" has big plans for 2018 as it plans to launch a new and "disruptive" TV service with the help of the Layer3 TV team.
Layer3 TV touts itself as "The New Cable." The company offers over 275 HD channels, whole home DVR, and integration with audio streaming services such as Pandora. It's essentially TV over the internet, and it gives T-Mobile a platform to compete against AT&T's own DirecTV Now service. At the moment, Layer3 TV does require the use of a separate Set-Top box that is included in the price of the service. Pricing starts at $75/month. Layer3 TV is not yet available everywhere, but with T-Mobile using the technology to develop it's own related service, you can expect it to hit your area soon.
T-Mobile says that when it first announced its plans to purchase Layer3 TV on December 13, 2017 it received overwhelming attention from the media and general public. According to the Un-Carrier, the news caused a big drop in Charter and Comcast stock on that day.
"We know people love their TV, but hate their TV providers. But, the reaction to our announcement last month took even me by surprise. People are ready for choice and change! Well, good news ‘cause that’s exactly what we’re gonna bring!......I can’t wait to take the fight to Big Cable and Satellite TV on behalf of consumers everywhere!”
-John Legere, President and CEO of T-Mobile
T-Mobile proclaims that the mobile internet is the new internet and that this is causing a wave of convergence in technology where wireless, wired and cable technologies and capabilities all come together. With the introduction of 5G wireless technology on the horizon, T-Mobile says that all of this convergence will accelerate massively and that's what made it the right time to step in and purchase Layer3 TV.
Jeff Binder, the CEO of Layer3 TV will be joining the staff of T-Mobile's new TV team. He'll take on the role of Executive Vice President and be part of the Senior Leadership Team reporting to T-Mobile's COO Mike Sievert. Nearly 200 other Layer3 TV employees will also be a part of the team.
For more information or to get an exclusive launch discount, T-Mobile urges those interested in the service to visit https://www.t-mobile.com/tv.
While T-Mobile works on developing its own new TV service, the existing Layer3 TV service will be available for purchase in the coming weeks at select T-Mobile stores in the following cities: Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.