Sprint Said to Talk With Cable Companies About Clearwire Buyout

Apparently, Sprint Nextel Corp. is talking with cable companies about a possible investment that may lead to an acquisition of partner Clearwire.

Sprint is discussing the investment with companies including Comcast. Under one scenario being discussed, Sprint would use the money to buy the equity in Clearwire it doesn't own. Talks are preliminary and no deal is imminent. Sprint and Comcast, which are already investors in Clearwire along with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, are discussing ways to provide funding to Clearwire so it can build out its high-speed wireless network. Clearwire plans to spend about $600 million to upgrade its network to so-called long-term evolution, or LTE, technology, to compete against AT&T and Verizon Wireless. (Aug 18)