The proposed spectrum deal with Verizon involves Comcast, Time Warner, Bright House Networks and Cox Communications. In its filing late Tuesday, T-Mobile, the No. 4 cellphone carrier in the United States, told the Federal Communications Commission that the deal would leave too much spectrum in the hands of Verizon, the No. 1 carrier. The spectrum in question “is unlikely to provide any near-term benefits to Verizon Wireless customers,” T-Mobile said in its filing. “Rather, the principal impact of the acquisition would be to foreclose the possibility that this spectrum could be acquired by smaller competitors — such as T-Mobile — who would use it more quickly, more intensively, and more efficiently than Verizon Wireless.” Verizon did not respond to requests for comment. A commission spokesman declined to comment because the agency is considering whether to approve the spectrum transfer, as is the Justice Department. The two agencies blocked a merger between AT&T and T-Mobile after concluding that the partnership would reduce competition and eliminate jobs. MetroPCS, a smaller wireless company, also filed a petition urging the commission to block the transaction. It said Verizon and the cable companies had not proved that the deal was in the public interest. Buying spectrum allows wireless carriers to build their networks and handle more customer traffic. Verizon reached an agreement in December to buy wireless spectrum from the cable companies for $3.6 billion. The carrier also made a separate agreement that would allow the cable companies to market Verizon services, and vice versa. These agreements had already raised concerns among some politicians, who noted that Verizon and Comcast, in particular, would essentially be on the same team. “These joint-marketing agreements will turn these rival companies into partners, rather than competitors,” Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota, wrote in a letter to the commission this month. “I fear this will ultimately mean less competition, less choice, and higher prices for consumers.” In some ways Verizon and the cable companies have agreed to stay out of each other’s businesses, and the spectrum transfer does not raise the same antitrust concerns as the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile, said Chetan Sharma, an independent telecom analyst. He said that the transfer would allow the wireless spectrum to be put in the hands of someone who needs it most: a cellphone carrier. The cable companies bought the spectrum at an F.C.C. auction in 2006 with plans to possibly start a wireless business, but then never used it, said Mark A. Winther, a telecommunications analyst at IDC, a research firm. He said the wireless business was a bad fit for cable companies, which sell services like television and high-speed Internet to entire households, whereas mobile services are sold to individuals. In its filing, T-Mobile warns that the spectrum transfer would limit the ability for competitors to build so-called fourth-generation LTE networks. But if the transfer were blocked, it is unclear whether T-Mobile would even be able to buy and use the spectrum. T-Mobile USA has not formally announced plans for LTE networks, and Deutsche Telekom, which owns T-Mobile USA, has shown a lack of interest in investing in the troubled carrier, Mr. Winther said. In light of T-Mobile USA’s uncertain future, the carrier’s move against Verizon and the cable companies is an odd one, Mr. Winther said. “It almost feels like, because they couldn’t join up with AT&T, they’re not going to let Verizon solve a spectrum problem,” he said. “It’s a weird position.” But Mr. Sharma said T-Mobile’s petition may simply be a competitive move to keep Verizon, the stronger player in wireless, from becoming even stronger. “They want to keep their options open if they do go down the path of LTE,” he said.
