German incumbent Deutsche Telekom’s US mobile unit T-Mobile USA is said to have held preliminary talks with hedge fund Harbinger Capital, which owns radio spectrum that can be used for 4G services, regarding the establishment of a nationwide mobile…
German incumbent Deutsche Telekom’s US mobile unit T-Mobile USA is said to have held preliminary talks with hedge fund Harbinger Capital, which owns radio spectrum that can be used for 4G services, regarding the establishment of a nationwide mobile network, reports the Financial Times.
TelecomFinance recently reported that Harbinger was planning to raise some US$1bn-US$2bn, to back a wireless venture on the US market, which would provide high speed services across the US. It was further reported that Harbinger brought in Sanjiv Ahuja, former CEO of France Telecom’s mobile subsidiary Orange, to head up the venture.
Harbinger is believed to be interested not in providing services to consumers, but in stringing up wholesale deals with already established and newly created mobile operators. T-Mobile USA is now said to have held talks to become one of these wholesale customers on Harbinger’s 4G network, in a bid to grow its presence on the US market, where it is lagging behind the three largest operators.