clearwire

After rumors suggested a deal was near, Sprint announced today it has signed an agreement to acquire the shares of Clearwire that it does not already own.

According to Sprint, the companies have agreed to a per-share price of $2.97 on the approximately 50 percent stake in Clearwire it does not currently own. The total price will hit $2.2 billion, giving Clearwire a value of $10 billion when its debt and lease obligations are taken into account.

Rumors have been swirling for months that Sprint would acquire Clearwire, which owns spectrum and sells service to carriers and cable … Read more

Japan-based Softbank is limiting how much Sprint can pay to acquire Clearwire, a new report claims.

Sprint Nextel yesterday confirmed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it's willing to pay $2.90 a share to buyout the remaining shares in Clearwire. The total cost would be $2.1 billion. Some Clearwire shareholders, however, are saying that Sprint should up its bid to $5 per share.

But there's just one problem: according to Reuters, citing sources who claim to have knowledge of the dealings, Softbank has banned Sprint from paying any more than $2.97 per share … Read more

Talks between Sprint Nextel and Clearwire are heating up.

Sprint confirmed via a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission made public today that it is in talks with Clearwire to buy out the remaining stake in the upstart wireless provider that it doesn't already own.

The company said it believes that it would cost $2.1 billion to buy out the remaining 49 percent stake in Clearwire, valuing the company at $2.90 a share, or a 5.5 percent premium to its closing price on Wednesday.

Clearwire also submitted a filing confirming the talks, but declined to … Read more

Expensive in-home Internet service may soon be a thing of the past, at least if FreedomPop has anything to say about it.

The startup, backed by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, today said it's now taking preorders for its FreedomPop Hub Burst home modem that allows users to access the high-speed Internet for free.

The company noted that the device, available for an $89 deposit, will ship next month. If a user decides to turn off the service within the first year, he or she can return the modem to FreedomPop and receive the deposit back. There are no contracts … Read more

Sprint Nextel may be moving closer to taking full control of 4G wireless provider Clearwire, according to CNBC.

The two companies are in active negotiations, and Sprint has been talking with some of Clearwire's big-name shareholders, including Intel and Comcast, in taking full control of the company, CNBC reported, citing unnamed sources.

A deal isn't imminent, but an announcement could come by the end of the year, the report said.

Representatives from both Sprint and Clearwire declined to comment.

Sprint is looking to scoop up the remaining 49 percent of Clearwire's stock it doesn't already hold, … Read more

The drama between Sprint and Clearwire might finally be coming to an end.

The carrier announced today in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it has entered into a deal with Eagle River Holdings that will see it receive additional voting power.

Up to now, Sprint held 48.1 percent voting power, giving it substantial control but not enough for it to solely determine Clearwire's future. Eagle River Holdings has 2.3 percent voting power, and its chief executive, Craig McCaw, owns another 2.3 percent.

According to the filing, Eagle River Holdings will sell nearly 31 million … Read more

Sprint Nextel may soon gain control of wireless broadband provider Clearwire without an acquisition, clearing up a stumbling block to Softbank's $20 billion acquisition of Sprint.

Sprint is Clearwire's largest customer and its largest shareholder with an 84 percent stake, but the No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier doesn't have control of Clearwire's board. To take control of the company, the No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier is negotiating agreements with other investors that will allow it to appoint a majority of directors to Clearwire's board without a making a formal acquisition, people familiar with … Read more

Don't hold your breath for a deal between Sprint Nextel and Clearwire.

With Sprint getting taken over by Japanese wireless carrier SoftBank, many believed Sprint would take full ownership of Clearwire, which provides 4G services to carriers and consumers in select markets. In addition to being Clearwire's largest customer, Sprint is the largest shareholder too, although it doesn't have control of the board.

Leading up to the announcement of the Sprint-SoftBank deal, there were various reports that Clearwire was a sticking point in the merger talks, and that SoftBank wanted Clearwire scooped up. But yesterday's deal … Read more

Japanese wireless provider SoftBank made a huge bet on the U.S. market after it agreed to take control of Sprint Nextel for $20.1 billion.

After days of speculation and reports, the two companies confirmed the deal this morning. SoftBank gets a large foothold in the U.S. market, which it believes still has the opportunity for growth. Sprint, meanwhile, gets a new lease on life and more support as it continues its turnaround.

But what does this mean for the average customer? Will the deal have any affect on Sprint's day-to-day service? CNET has put together this … Read more