Let’s face it, the end to any relationship can be rough. But when business mergers fail, they can also be profitable. Just ask T-Mobile and its parent company Deutsche Telekom, which will earn a record $4 billion for NOT being bought out by AT&T. 

Normally, we focus on How to Build a Business and Sell It For Millions, but in the case of AT&T and T-Mobile, we can see even if a deal goes south, there’s money to be made.

It was a bad connection for AT&T and T-Mobile.

Almost since it was first announced in March, federal regulators have balked at the $39 billion mega-merger of the two wireless giants.The Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department feared the buyout would violate antitrust laws and harm consumers with higher prices and limited mobile options. AT&T fought the opposition but could never seal the deal. It finally threw in the towel this week.

Talk about a hefty phone bill, AT&T must now pay billions to satisfy an initial agreement with T-Mobile. Three billion dollars in cash will be paid to T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telekom, while the remaining $1 billion is set for spectrum and roaming agreements.

In its news release, Deutsche Telekom says the termination-of-purchase fee agreed between the two companies could turn out to be the biggest in history. 

As I wrote earlier in my Legal Edge column in SmartCEO, business partnerships are never easy. If developed properly, they can be brilliant, but all pitfalls must be considered before signing on the dotted line. When forming an agreement plan for the likely situations you will face.

Things to consider when forming agreements:

     - Do the risks outweigh the means?

     - How will I benefit the most from the relationship?

     - Financially speaking, how are profits distributed?

     - Who is in charge?

     - And as AT&T and T-Mobile are discovering; what happens if the plan fails?

Not one likes a break up. But in the case of T-Mobile, $4 billion certainly goes a long way to take away the sting.