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Dish still unwilling to let Sprint go, despite SoftBank deal

Although there is just a couple of weeks before shareholders vote on SoftBank's bid to acquire Sprint, Dish reportedly is still scrambling to change the fate of the deal.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
Masayoshi Son, SoftBank's CEO.
Masayoshi Son, SoftBank's CEO. Stephen Shankland/CNET

Dish Network isn't yet ready to let Sprint go.

Dish is still examining Sprint's books to determine whether it wants to make another bid for the mobile carrier, Reuters is reporting on Tuesday. The trouble is, time is running out: shareholders vote on the previous acquisition bid from SoftBank later this month.

SoftBank last year approached Sprint with an offer to acquire 70 percent of the carrier for $20.1 billion. In April, Dish countered with an unsolicited bid of $25.5 billion. Despite the jump in price and the fact that a Sprint committee evaluated the Dish offering, the board continues to recommend shareholders vote for the SoftBank deal, saying that it's in the best interests of the company. Sprint's board was able to make its case a bit stronger on Monday after SoftBank raised its acquisition deal to $21.6 billion.

Dish has not yet said whether it will counter with a new offer, but considering the company is still examining Sprint's books, it wouldn't be surprising if it comes in with a last-minute deal.

Correction at 9:21 a.m. PT: The shareholder vote is not on June 12, but later this month.