merger

Microsoft is reportedly gearing up for another bid for Yahoo.

The software giant is working with private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners and one of its investors on a proposal to buy Yahoo, according to a Wall Street Journal report that cited people familiar with the matter. The partners and assorted banks would help finance the purchase, but Microsoft would put up the lion's share of the money, sources told the newspaper.

However, that figure would most likely be much lower than Microsoft's previous offer for the Web pioneer, in which the software giant in 2008 offered first $31, then $33 per share … Read more

AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong has been meeting with investors to push the idea of selling the company to Yahoo, Reuters reports, citing unidentified sources.

Despite Yahoo's recent leadership shakeup, Armstrong is pitching the idea that the two companies have squandered their once-preeminent positions on the Web and would have a stronger position paired up than going it alone.

"The focus in the meeting has gone from a year ago of being around the fundamentals to now being how could you carve this up, what are separate assets worth, are there ways to sell off the business to … Read more

Sprint Nextel sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission on Friday asking for the agency to move with more speed in its decision on AT&T's planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA.

Sprint filed an ex parte letter to the FCC, joining Dish Network and Public Knowledge, which filed their own ex parte letters late last month. The document urges the FCC "to act promptly to designate AT&T's proposed takeover of T-Mobile for a hearing before an administrative law judge," which is the next step if the commission is going to block the … Read more

AT&T fired back at Sprint Nextel and Cellular South, the two companies that have sued to block AT&T's planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA.

The Dallas telecommunications giant filed two motions today seeking to dismiss the complaints filed by Sprint and Cellular South.

AT&T's argument is that Sprint and Cellular South are competitors, and lack the legal standing to file a complaint, and that Sprint's secondary complaint about the deal's effect on wholesale pricing for access to the wireline ground infrastructure is immaterial.

AT&T also argues that Sprint has … Read more

T-Mobile USA today showed off what are likely to be its flagship phones for the rest of the year: Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S II and HTC's Amaze 4G.

Both phones will be available on October 12, with the Amaze 4G selling for $259.99 and the Galaxy S II selling for $229.99, with both prices coming after a $50 rebate and a two-year contract.

The two smartphones are the first to run on T-Mobile's newly upgraded network, which the company says is faster than most consumers' home Internet connection. While T-Mobile lacks the spectrum to build a true 4G LTE network, it has instead put its resources behind an upgraded version of HSPA technology that delivers a higher connection speed.

Because of the faster connection, T-Mobile calls its network 4G, putting it on the same level--marketing-wise--as Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel. Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer of T-Mobile, said the phones should be able to average speeds at around 8 megabits per second, and peak speeds of 20 megabits per second--faster than the standard home DSL or cable connection. … Read more

NEW YORK--Another day, another near-confirmation that Sprint Nextel would get the iPhone.

This time, Sprint Chief Executive Dan Hesse noted that the company's financial expectations for the year don't factor in the "rumored device," and hinted at a possible change.

"If we get it--if--we may have to adjust our guidance for that," Hesse said today during an investor conference sponsored by Goldman Sachs.

Hesse otherwise tiptoed around the iPhone rumors, and noted at the beginning of the presentation that he would not be talking about whether Sprint would carry Apple's iconic device. But … Read more

NEW YORK - Verizon Communications CEO said he is not taking sides on whether AT&T should be allowed to buy T-Mobile USA, but he thinks that if the deal is blocked, the U.S. government needs to find ways to get more spectrum in the market. He also said he is not worried about more competition from a potential Sprint iPhone.

Speaking at a Goldman Sachs investor conference here Wednesday, Lowell McAdam, Verizon's CEO said that his company hasn't taken a stance in the debate whether AT&T should be allowed to buy T-Mobile. AT&… Read more

Our friends at TmoNews got their hands on a very interesting document that foretells how current T-Mobile service plans will be affected if the proposed AT&T merger goes through. Though we've always known that AT&T's will honor T-Mobile's contracts through the end of their life, this employee FAQ says that customers can keep their plans "as long as they want to, even when their term ends and the service continues on a month-to-month basis."

Exactly what that means remains to be seen. In previous carrier mergers, customers were allowed to keep … Read more

Wireless provider Cellular South has filed suit against AT&T's proposed T-Mobile merger, arguing that the deal should not be approved.

In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and seen by CNET, Cellular South argues that AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA violates the Clayton Antitrust Act, and, echoing the concerns of other critics, says that the deal would stifle competition in the marketplace.

"The proposed merger will allow AT&T to increase this influence by eliminating T-Mobile as an independent source of demand for … Read more