T-Mobile has finally completed its acquisition of Mint Mobile and its two sister companies. While it's a big purchase, it doesn't mean major changes are coming right away.
The wireless carrier announced on Wednesday (May 1) that it's officially completed its acquisition of Ka'ena Corporation, the parent company of direct-to-consumer prepaid wireless carrier Mint Mobile, international-focused carrier Ultra Mobile, and wholesale wireless company Plum.
T-Mobile said that it plans to keep the existing leadership team in place, including Mint co-founders David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim at Ka'ena Corporation. It will retain actor and Mint Mobile spokesperson Ryan Reynolds in his existing role.
Last year, the company revealed that it was planning to acquire Mint Mobile and its parent company Ka'ena Corporation. The company said at the time that it would acquire Ka'ena with a combination of cash and stock, and would pay up to $1.4 billion for the company.
Needless to say, it was a major move for T-Mobile, which has been trying to build out its broader wireless business in competition with AT&T and Verizon. While there are plenty of prepaid wireless carriers in the market, Mint Mobile's alignment with Ryan Reynolds, along with its unique marketing efforts, has made it a standout in the space.
Indeed, T-Mobile said on Wednesday that it doesn't plan to change much at Mint Mobile and will follow Reynolds' lead in marketing the brand going forward. It also said it hopes to integrate some of Mint's marketing tactics into its own efforts.
Looking ahead, however, T-Mobile said it plans to enhance its offerings to customers. It said it will make a $15 "Commitmint" starting today that all Mint Mobile customers will continue to have access to its $15-a-month plan through the end of the year.
In the coming months, T-Mobile will add a feature to both Mint and Ultra that will help customers identify if a call is spam. It also said that it will soon add unlimited talk and text, along with 3GB of high-speed data, while roaming in Canada for free. It'll also allow Ultra customers in Mexico to get enhanced data roaming options.
For now, then, don't expect much to change if you're using Mint Mobile or Ultra. But as we've seen with a countless number of acquisitions over the years, over time, as leadership changes occur and parent companies want to find ways to get more out of their investments, changes become inevitable. And while it doesn't appear too many changes will be happening this year, keep a close eye on T-Mobile next year as it potentially eyes changes.
