T-Mobile is delaying annual salary increases for employees from July 2017 to February 2018, offering a one-time $1,000 “celebratory” stock grant in the meantime as it transitions to new schedule that aligns performance reviews, compensation increases and stock grants.

The new schedule, affecting employees through the senior manager level, was outlined in a June 1 email to employees from CEO John Legere, obtained by GeekWire and republished below.

The changes come amid fresh speculation that a merger between the Bellevue, Wash.-based carrier and Sprint is imminent. It’s not clear whether the changes are part of the planning process for a merger. T-Mobile declined to comment on the annual salary changes or the possibility of a merger.

Execs from T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom reportedly told German newspaper Handelsblatt that an all-stock deal to merge the two U.S. carriers is in the works. The rival companies re-opened talks about a merger last month, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s election.

On and off for years, T-Mobile and Sprint have explored the possibility of a combination, but external circumstances, like the U.S. regulatory environment, have stood in their way. Under the new anti-regulatory administration, romance is in the air and marriage could be on the horizon.

T-Mobile and Sprint, the majority of which is owned by SoftBank Group, last came close to joining forces in 2014. Concerns from U.S. regulators prevented the deal from coming to fruition at the time. Since then, T-Mobile surged passed Sprint to become the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier, and has continued to add more than 1 million customers each quarter with Legere at the helm.

Here’s the full text of an email Legere sent to employees June 1, describing the stock grant and compensation changes.