Sprint Nearing Purchase of T-Mobile US

Sprint and Deutsche Telecom are concluding a deal that would sell T-Mobile US to its market rival at roughly $40 per share in July. Sprint and T-Mobile are the third- and fourth-largest US wireless carriers, respectively. The companies are working on terms such as the final price, financing, and which of them would pay the termination fee if US regulators block the deal. T-Mobile US is now owned by Deutsche Telekom, which would retain a 15 to 20 percent stake in the new Sprint. This is one of many recently announced mergers within the US telecommunications market. AT&T is courting satellite TV operator DirecTV, and Comcast is trying to buy Time Warner. Market analysts say US government regulators—who rejected a deal between AT&T and T-Mobile US three years ago—may well prevent the Sprint and T-Mobile merger. (Reuters)(Bloomberg)

View the original article here

Dish Network Bids $25.5 Billion for Sprint

Satellite TV provider Dish Network has submitted an informal $25.5 billion bid for Sprint Nextel, upping a previous offer from Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank. Dish has offered Sprint shareholders $4.76 in cash and roughly $2.24 in stock that would be financed through $17.3 billion in cash and debt financing. SoftBank offered $20.1 billion in October 2012. Sprint—the third-biggest US cellular provider with 56 million subscribers—has yet to comment on the Dish proposal. Sprint is currently the No. 3 cellphone service provider in the United States with 56 million subscribers nationwide. (ZDNet)(CNNMoney)(The New York Times)(Dish)

View the original article here