US: Sprint, T-Mobile restart deal talks again

Mobile US Inc is engaged in a new round of talks to acquire Sprint Corp , a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, the latest effort to combine the third and fourth largest US wireless carriers.

The combined company would have more than 127 million customers and could be in a stronger footing to compete against the No. 1 and No. 2 wireless players, Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc , amid a race to expand offerings in 5G wireless technology.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the companies to try to clinch a deal for the third time in the last four years. Their previous round of negotiations ended in November over valuation disagreements. Since then, Sprint’s shares have lost more than a fifth of their value amid questions about how the company can compete effectively under the weight of its long-term debt of more than US$32 billion.

It’s the latest update in an ongoing merger attempt for the companies. The companies ended talks in November, saying they couldn’t reach a deal. The companies were not immediately available to comment on Tuesday’s reports of revived talks.

Full Content: Wall Street Journal

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