Dish Network open to T-Mobile deal if AT&T takeover fails
updated 03:40 pm EST, Mon December 12, 2011
Would also want assets if divestiture required
Dish Network has indicated that it might be interested in acquiring assets from either AT&T or T-Mobile if their proposed $39 billion merger fails to go through. This insight came from Dish's CEO Joseph Clayton in an interview with Bloomberg. Dish has already expressed interest in acquiring customers and spectrum if US regulators require AT&T to divest any such assets in order to allow the deal to be completed.
Although Dish's most publicized recent acquisition has been its $320 million purchase of Blockbuster, the company slowly has been acquiring capabilities in wireless infrastructure. In June, Dish bought bankrupt satellite smartphone and service provider TerreStar. Last February, Dish acquired another bankrupt provider, DBSD. Although DBSD was primarily a satellite communications provider, it also owned 20MHz of wireless spectrum. In Februay, Dish's parent company, EchoStar, paid $2 billion to acquire satellite Internet provider Hughes Communications.
“We want to use it to create a national wireless network, video, voice and data," said Clayton, referring to T-Mobile. "We've got expertise in satellite TV, and we will in satellite broadband. The voice part, we'll need some help with."
Previously, Clayton has indicated that he might be interested in buying Sprint or Clearwire to gain infrastructure and expertise in the mobile market.
