Judge Puts T-Mobile Merger Trial on Fast Track

US District Judge Victor Marrero told lawyers fighting over T-Mobile’s more than $26 billion bid for Sprint to skip their customary opening arguments so they could start questioning witnesses, a sign he is seeking a speedy trial. And he asked both sides to trim their lists of witnesses to avoid beating him “over the head” with testimony. The bench trial is scheduled to carry into Christmas week but could last longer. The states’ first witness, Sprint marketing chief Roger Solé, testified to the company’s efforts to lure subscribers away from rivals, including T-Mobile. He was followed by Boost Mobile executive Angela Rittgers, who explained how the prepaid service pursues price-conscious customers. The states also called Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges, who answered questions about how the German telecom giant turned a struggling U.S. subsidiary into the country’s fastest growing competitor.