Pretty much everything that T-Mobile announced with great fanfare last week, from providing free 5G access to every first responder across the country for no less than 10 years to free service altogether for 10 million households, hinges on the creation of a “supercharged Un-carrier.” But even though Magenta has recently obtained legal and regulatory approvals from both the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission, one big hurdle still stands in the way of a Sprint merger.

The DOJ’s Antitrust Division believes the competition Dish will be able to provide once this massive transition is completed, as well as a combined T-Mobile and Sprint, will deliver “increased value to residents of Arkansas and consumers nationwide.” 

Clearly, Arkansas AG Leslie Rutledge agrees with that view, and so do eight other top law enforcement officers nationwide, but that still leaves more states opposed to the deal than supporting it. And T-Mobile either needs everyone on board or to win the trial set to begin on December 9. We’ll see what happens, but you should definitely not hold your breath for a definitive conclusion to this saga anytime soon.