Elliott Investment Management has accumulated a position in Deutsche Telekom and is urging the telecom giant to abandon its merger ambitions with T-Mobile US. Shares of T-Mobile US surged 2.82% to close at $187.30 on Wednesday after Bloomberg broke the story, while Deutsche Telekom shares climbed 1.5% in Thursday trading in Frankfurt. Elliott is advocating for more aggressive share repurchase programs rather than a complete merger. Deutsche Telekom has pledged to repurchase up to €5 billion of its shares this year and owns about 53% of T-Mobile US. The proposed $300 billion deal has faced regulatory hurdles and waning support from T-Mobile leadership. J.P. Morgan analyst Akhil Dattani maintains an overweight rating, calling the stock extremely cheap despite strategic overhangs.