Screenshot: YouTube / Mint Mobile
T-Mobile
officially
finalized
the
$1.35
billion
deal
to
acquire
Mint
Mobile,
according
to
a
press
release
from
the
telecom
company.
The
deal
was
first
announced
in
March
2023
but
had
to
clear
regulatory
approval.
The
U.S.
Federal
Communications
Commission
(FCC)
gave
approval
to
the
deal
last
week
after
T-Mobile
pledged
to
let
existing
Mint
customers
switch
providers
for
60
days
after
the
acquisition.
T-Mobile
has
also
pledged
to
keep
Mint’s
$15
per
month
deal
for
both
new
and
existing
customers,
something
frequently
touted
in
the
prepaid
carrier’s
advertising.
T-Mobile acquired Mint from the Ka’ena Corporation, which is also selling smaller mobile properties Ultra Mobile and Plum to the wireless giant. The deal consists of 39% in cash and 61% in stock.
Ryan Reynolds, the face of Mint Mobile who became owner of 25% of the company in 2019, is expected to take home at least $300 million, according to estimates from the Wall Street Journal calculated late last year.
Reynolds, who often makes jokes as part of Mint’s advertising campaigns, joked about “Gary in Finance” while announcing the final deal.
“I am so proud of the entire Mint Mobile team. Even Gary from Finance who’s been a real stickler over the years,” said in a press release announcing the finalization of the deal. “We’ve been able to rapidly grow this brand by putting customers and value first while being unafraid to act quickly and take chances. T-Mobile is the best partner to help us supercharge Mint and we’re grateful for their partnership.”
Expanded
roaming
in
Mexico
and
Canada
was
also
announced,
along
with
T-Mobile
touting
T-Mobile
features
that
will
soon
be
available
to
Mint,
including
a
warning
that
flashes
“Scam
Likely”
on
phones
for
known
scam
callers.
Critics of the deal were concerned about the loss of competition, but defenders pointed out that Mint already relied heavily on T-Mobile’s infrastructure to provide service.
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