The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a proposed merger of Sprint and T-Mobile by a 3-2 margin. Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks voted against the plan, while Commissioners Brendan Carr and Michael O’Rielly joined Chair Ajit Pai in voting for it. The FCC is set to release an official order approving the deal soon.

Opponents of the deal continue to predict higher prices for consumers, while proponents say it will make 5G rollout even quicker and create a strong telecom competitor to Verizon and AT&T.

With this approval and the assent of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier this year, the deal has all the regulatory approvals necessary to proceed. It still needs to clear a lawsuit brought by multiple state attorneys general before the merger can officially close.

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