Deutsche Telekom is allegedly very close to making a deal to purchase MetroPCS, according to a report from Bloomberg. The purchase would be used to strengthen the T-Mobile brand in the US, which is currently the fourth-largest carrier in the country. Bloomberg cites unnamed sources that claim that Deutsche Telekom's board is due to meet tomorrow to approve the transaction.
MetroPCS is just under a third of the size of T-Mobile, which has 33.2 million subscribers in the US. It currently operates a 4G LTE network and 2G CDMA network in various parts of the country. This alleged deal follows T-Mobile's recent sale of the rights to operate its cellular towers for $2.4 billion.
Update: MetroPCS has issued a statement confirming Bloomberg's report while maintaining that the discussions may not lead to a purchase.
"MetroPCS today confirmed that it is in discussions with Deutsche Telekom regarding an agreement to combine T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS. There can be no assurances that any transaction will result from these discussions, and the Company does not intend to comment further unless and until an agreement."