The Verge - SoftBank tries to buy Sprint: everything you need to know about the $20.1 billion acquisition

Dish CEO says the company needs to transform itself before video declines

2013-05-10T13:17:06Z

American satellite company Dish says it needs to find a new business model before its old one disappears. On an investor call, the company was asked whether it would rather have a merger with rival DirecTV or an acquisition of mobile carrier Sprint — A Dish-DirecTV merger was blocked by the FCC in 2002, and Dish made a surprise bid for Sprint just last month. Unsurprisingly, CEO Joe Clayton picked Sprint. "We would transform DISH and we transform Sprint," he said, according to TV Predictions. "And it becomes a unique company. It's something that nobody else can do inside and outside the home."

More dramatically, Clayton dismissed a DirecTV merger and, to some extent, both companies' core models. "While there'll be a lot of synergy and...

SoftBank CEO touts 4G expertise as major advantage in Sprint buyout

2013-05-07T09:04:34Z

Last week, SoftBank CEO dissected Dish Network’s competing bid for Sprint, calling it "incomplete and illusory," but today he explained exactly why he thinks SoftBank is better poised than its competition to take control of the company: synergy. After introducing SoftBank's new summer phones at a carrier event in Tokyo, the CEO described its networking advancements like interference-reducing single frequency network (SFN) technology, and how he believed that they, along with its achievements in transfer speed and signal quality, would translate to benefits at Sprint.

"We're already using it on a large scale."

Fielding a question from a Bloomberg reporter, Son elaborated, saying that the synergies amounted to a significant difference...

Sprint clear to vote on SoftBank buyout next month after SEC approval

2013-05-02T15:08:18Z

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has approved Japanese carrier SoftBank's plan buy a 70 percent stake in Sprint, paving the way for a vote next month. SoftBank, which made its plans public in October of last year, says it's now urging Sprint's shareholders to approve the $20 billion deal at a meeting on June 12th. If approved, SoftBank hopes the acquisition could close in July, putting control of America's third-largest carrier in the hands of a Japanese telecom juggernaut.

SoftBank, however, isn't the only one interested in Sprint. Dish has attempted to undercut the acquisition with its own $25.5 billion merger, prompting a furious volley of words between the two competitors' CEOs. SoftBank's Masayoshi Son has called Dish's...

Dish chairman hits back at SoftBank CEO: 'culture matters' in Sprint deal

2013-05-02T03:49:43Z

Two days ago SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son launched a heated attack on Dish Network's "incomplete and illusory" rival bid for Sprint, and now Dish chairman Charlie Ergen has fired back with shots of his own. In an interview with USA Today, Ergen sought to draw a line between his company and SoftBank by questioning whether the Japanese carrier has the ability to build a network on American soil.

SoftBank CEO calls Dish bid for Sprint 'incomplete and illusory'

2013-04-30T08:27:44Z

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has come out swinging against the rival bid for Sprint from Dish Network. At a press conference in Tokyo, Son argued that it isn't necessary for SoftBank to raise its $20.1 billion bid for Sprint, and maintained that it represents a better option than Dish's $25.5 billion offer. While Dish has claimed that their bid is worth $7 a share, Son questioned the company's numbers, asking "Is it right? Is it true? Is it misleading? I would say the number is wrong. Totally wrong. It is incomplete and illusory."

Intel CEO Paul Otellini tells FCC that SoftBank is the better buyer for Sprint

2013-04-30T03:43:05Z

In its battle to acquire Sprint, Japanese carrier SoftBank has a surprising ally — Intel. The chipmaker’s CEO Paul Otellini sent an email to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski last week saying that he supports SoftBank, headed by the enigmatic Masayoshi Son, over a competing bid from TV provider Dish Network. "Son-san’s vision to build a high speed competitive third national network is very compelling," writes Otellini. "We need this competition in the wireless space as the ATT / Verizon model is not giving that to consumers at this time."

It’s hard to tell what effect Otellini’s recommendation will have, but it’s nonetheless interesting that he and Intel are taking a position on the matter. As it stands, SoftBank has said that...

Citing security concerns, Dish claims it's a better buyer for Sprint than Japanese carrier SoftBank

2013-04-18T18:57:54Z

Sprint is currently being courted by two different companies — Japanese carrier SoftBank is still hoping its $20.1 billion bid will clear on July 1st, but satellite TV provider Dish is now attempting a $25.5 billion takeover of the US's third-largest wireless carrier. Now, according to a just-released FCC filing, Dish is getting more aggressive about stopping the SoftBank / Sprint deal from going forward. Dish has asked US regulators to hold their review of the SoftBank deal on the grounds that a Sprint / Dish deal would be better for the country from a national security standpoint. The government was already looking into the SoftBank deal because of concerns about the Japanese carrier using Huawei equipment, which the US believes is a...

SoftBank expects to complete Sprint acquisition in July, despite rival Dish offer

2013-04-16T05:23:22Z

SoftBank's planned $20.1 billion takeover of Sprint was thrown into disarray yesterday by a $25.5 billion rival bid from Dish Network, but the Japanese carrier still expects the acquisition to proceed as planned. In a statement provided to AllThingsD, SoftBank said that the deal is set to be completed on July 1st.