Americans are no better off with standalone Sprint

NEW YORK: Sprint’s $26 billion merger with T-Mobile US is looking wobbly – but no more so than the company itself. The SoftBank-backed U.S. telecommunications firm, which reports earnings late Tuesday, is expected to show that it is losing customers despite offering discounts. At the same time, regulators worry a takeover of Sprint by rival T-Mobile may hurt consumers. The weaker Sprint gets, that concern looks less likely.

On a whiteboard it makes sense to feel nervous about the proposed merger. A deal would reduce the number of choices from four wireless carriers to three – often seen by telecoms regulators as a red line – with Verizon Communications and AT&T