(NBC NEWS) — The Federal Communications Commission voted Wednesday to approve the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint.
The commissioners voted 3-2 along party lines.
The merger gained justice department approval in July, but it still faces a legal challenge from a team of state attorneys general seeking to block the deal.
T-Mobile and Sprint have argued that combining their firms, the third and fourth-largest wireless carriers in the country, would allow them to compete with AT&T and Verizon on 5-G technology.
The state attorneys general argue the merger will reduce competition and drive up prices for customers.
