Tortured tango dance

Merger talks between T-Mobile and Sprint have once again run into trouble.

The two cellphone companies had tried years ago to combine into a more powerful competitor to the much-bigger AT&T and Verizon. That was shut down by the Obama administration.

With regulators appointed by President Donald Trump in control, tantalizing visions of massive cost cuts prompted new deal talks.

But now mission-abort rumors have struck Round Two of their merger dance, even before regulators have their say. Published reports say talks have halted, or hit a snag.

The deal could be dead. Or Sprint’s owner, Japan’s SoftBank, could be playing hardball to get a better price from Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s German parent company, New Street Research analysts point out.

The companies did not respond to inquiries. If the deal doesn’t happen, many analysts say T-Mobile will be fine. It has for years been on a hot streak thanks to consumer-friendly changes to pricing and plans. It could pursue deals with others to help beef up its network.

Sprint, whose turnaround continues, may have a harder time going it alone without a deal.

Trying again: A deal for Sprint and T-Mobile may not happen after all, as talks appear to have hit a snag. Analysts say Sprint needs T-Mobile more than the other way around.