Sprint in Talks to Acquire Clearwire

Sprint has entered into talks that could result in the acquisition of Clearwire and control of the company’s 4G WiMAX network. Sprint currently holds the largest share of network partner, but it will need to coax the remainder from cable companies including Comcast, Time Warner, and Brighthouse. Sprint’s biggest competitor in acquiring Clearwire comes from that group, with Comcast also in discussions to provide the necessary funding for building out and upgrading Clearwire’s 4G network as it shifts from the WiMAX standard to LTE. Sprint has already established LTE plans with partner LighSquared, but a further commitment to the wireless standard already adopted by AT&T and Verizon could come in the form of $600 million check made out to Clearwire.