RUMOR: SPRINT TO ACQUIRE T-MOBILE

Bloombergis reporting that Sprint is in talks to buy mobile rival T-Mobile. Citing multiple anonymous sources, Bloomberg claims discussions between Sprint and Deutsche Telekom, the owner of T-Mobile, have been taking place on and off for some time, and one of the major areas of dispute is T-Mobile USA’s valuation. Should Sprint and Deutsche Telekom eventually come to terms, the deal would reportedly give Deutsche Telekom a sizable stake in Sprint Nextel Corp. following the merger — up to 50%. Sprint declined to comment on the report, while a Deutsche Telekom spokesperson said only that the company “could sell all or part of the U.S. business, and all options are open.”