softbank

Softbank puts cap on how much it'll pay for Clearwire, report says

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

NTT DoCoMo loses 40K subscribers to iPhone 5

NTT DoCoMo lost 40,800 subscribers in November, acknowledging that it's due to customer flight to the iPhone 5, according to Japan's Nikkei business daily.

For Japan's largest mobile-phone carrier, it was the first monthly drop in over five years.

NTT DoCoMo made no bones about blaming its shrinking subscriber base on customers opting for the iPhone 5 at rival carriers.

The company does not offer the iPhone, while rivals Softbank and KDDI do. Both of those carriers posted subscriber gains in November, with KDDI showing net gains of 228,800 customers and Softbank adding 301,900, … Read more

Sprint inks $480 million deal for U.S. Cellular customers, spectrum

Sprint is starting to flex some muscle with regional carriers.

The company announced today that it has inked a deal with U.S. Cellular for $480 million. The deal: Sprint will acquire 20MHz of PCS spectrum in the 1900MHz band across Chicago, South Bend, Ind., and Champaign, Ill. Sprint will also get 10Mhz of spectrum in the St. Louis market, as well as 585,000 customers, or about 10 percent of U.S. Cellular's subscriber base.

"Acquiring this spectrum will significantly increase Sprint's network capacity and improve the customer experience in several important Midwest markets including Chicago … Read more

A tempest brewing over tablets

Microsoft and Apple are at it again -- this time over tablets.

Four months after the company unveiled its Surface tablet, Microsoft has finally announced a price and date for the RT version of the device. After an apparent accidental self-out, Microsoft began taking preorders for the Windows RT version of Surface with an actual release date set on October 26 this year. On the same date, Microsoft's brick-and-mortar stores also will begin selling the device; however, preorders are only available online. $499 nets you the 32GB version only, while $599 gets you the 32GB version with a Touch … Read more

Softbank chief: We're open to other deals in U.S.

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son is ready and willing to entertain other buyout possibilities in the U.S., he has reportedly confirmed.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published yesterday, Son said that he isn't yet willing to rule out other acquisition deals, though he didn't specifically cite any company that might be in his crosshairs. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, who was also present at the interview, told the Journal that at some point in the future, he could see his company merge with T-Mobile.

Softbank announced earlier this week that it would pay $20.1 billion … Read more

Sprint in talks to take control of Clearwire without an acquisition

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

Softbank's 300 year vision for making Sprint customers happy

As you struggle through your life, you're just happy when your toilet flushes, your shoes don't wear out, and your phone works. You don't imagine for a moment that the companies behind these products aren't merely thinking commercially, but existentially.

You don't imagine that they're not just trying to sell you a product -- they're actually trying to lift your spirits. They're trying to make you forget loneliness, despair, and even death.

Please, I am not playing the fool. I am not even impersonating Dr. Sanjay Gupta. For a copy of a plan belonging to Softbank … Read more

What SoftBank's takeover of Sprint means for you (FAQ)

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

Japan's Softbank poised to supercharge Sprint network

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son isn't impressed with the high-speed wireless networks in the United States.

"Everytime I come to the U.S., I say 'Oh my God, the mobile phone network is so slow,'" Son said during a conference call with analysts today.

Now, Son is in a position to change things to his liking after Softbank and Sprint Nextel agreed on a deal in which Softbank would take a 70 percent stake in the U.S. carrier.

Sprint, which has struggled as a distant No. 3 carrier behind AT&T and Verizon Wireless, could get a boost from the deal, … Read more