Tara Lachapelle, Columnist

Verizon’s Slump Raises a Tough Question About T-Mobile-Sprint

If the wireless merger won’t lead to higher prices, why are rivals sinking on speculation the deal is doomed?

Ticking down.

Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

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If regulators want proof that the merger of T-Mobile US Inc. and Sprint Corp. will ultimately be harmful to consumers, Thursday’s wireless industry sell-off may be it.

Shares of Sprint tumbled about 6 percent as of 2:45 p.m. New York time, while T-Mobile fell 3.8 percent and AT&T Inc. slid 1.5 percent. Verizon Communications Inc. dropped the most since January in what was the second-worst performance among S&P 500 members.