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The likelihood that U.S. mobile operators will see some consolidation is increasing as smaller carriers struggle with revamped pricing schemes and product-positioning strategies, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. Market maturation and the accompanying price wars have led to rumors of impending market consolidation among these smaller companies.

Informa says that one rumor involves Deutsche Telekom, parent of fourth-place operator T-Mobile USA, considering a bid for Sprint Nextel, the third-largest U.S. operator. Already, Sprint is planning to take over all of Virgin Mobile USA in a stock deal valued at $483 million, including Sprint’s existing 13.1% stake in the U.S. mobile virtual network operator.

Mergers and acquisitions will face scrutiny from regulators and President Obama’s administration, which will keep a close eye on antitrust and competitive issues related to any significant M&A activity ahead. Informa notes that this examination could keep large M&A deals from coming to fruition anytime soon.

“A combination of T-Mobile and Sprint could be particularly tricky in the current environment, not only due to the size of the potential deal but also because of foreign-ownership issues that would have to be debated on both sides of the Atlantic,” says Tammy Parker, principal analyst with Informa. “Further, T-Mobile and Sprint operate several networks, all with different air-interface technologies, which would create an integration challenge.”

Informa also reports rumors of a possible merger between regional U.S. carriers MetroPCS Communications and Leap Wireless International, which both have seen their low-end, unlimited, prepaid service plans copied by national operators. Such smaller competitors are struggling to survive and match the economies of scale that Verizon Wireless and AT&T enjoy, Parker says. 

Despite the activity, Informa expects U.S. mobile operators to continue investigating consolidation, new revenue streams, and new pricing and equipment strategies. Verizon and AT&T may command 60% of the mobile market, Parker says, but they will still try to outmaneuver smaller rivals as well as each other.

The market will continue to grow as well, with 280.57 million mobile subscriptions and 90% marker penetration in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2009, Informa says. Also, Parker says, U.S. penetration will exceed 100% by the end of 2012 and reach nearly 113% by the end of 2014, driven by consumers with multiple subscriptions, the integration of mobile communications access into consumer devices, and the increasing use of machine-to-machine communications.