Loop unbundling is perfectly consistent with my argument, and indeed, the FCC enacted a loop unbundling rule this past April.

The article makes several other oversights. First, the big US carriers do not have regional pricing, and so the population density of the entire country is relevant.

Second, it neglects to mention that CDMA deployment was forbidden by law in many EU countries.

Finally, it neglects to mention that NIMBYism is a major driver of cellular network cost in the US, and differences in the legal climate around tower deployment can account for large differences in costs.