US DTH operator Dish Network has said that acquiring mobile operator T-Mobile US is still an option. When asked about a T-Mobile deal during the company’s Q3 conference call, Dish’s co-founder and chairman Charlie Ergen said: “I think acquiring a…
US DTH operator Dish Network has said that acquiring mobile operator T-Mobile US is still an option.
When asked about a T-Mobile deal during the company’s Q3 conference call, Dish’s co-founder and chairman Charlie Ergen said: “I think acquiring a company, selling our company, merging, partnering, those are all on the table.”
Dish has previously batted its eyelashes at T-Mobile and, earlier this year, tried to acquire the US’ third largest mobile operator Sprint Corp before it was taken over by Softbank.
In August Ergen described T-Mobile as the DTH giant’s only option for an acquisition or merger to get into wireless. For Dish, getting into wireless would be an opportunity to utilise its valuable S-band spectrum.
Earlier in the summer, T-Mobile’s CEO John Legere said he was “intrigued” by Ergen’s vision to integrate his DTH business with a wireless operator.
This week T-Mobile disclosed it was close to acquiring spectrum from an unidentified private party. On the call Dish’s CEO declined to comment on whether it was said party.
T-Mobile is funding the planned airwaves buy through a recently announced public offering of stock, through which it could raise as much as US$2bn. While the share issue has slightly lowered T-Mobile’s stock price, it still boasts a 62% increase since May following the close of its reverse merger with MetroPCS. T-Mobile has a market capitalisation of US$19bn.
