Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son said in a television interview that he would like to buy T-Mobile US, confirming his interest in a deal that would combine the country's third and fourth largest mobile operators. In excerpts from an interview with Charlie Rose, reported by the Wall Street Journal, Son said "we would like to make the deal happen, but there are steps and details that we have to work out". He said Sprint had "not yet" made an offer for T-Mobile, but the company planned to "give a shot".
The takeover would give Sprint the scale it needs to compete with AT&T and Verizon, allowing it to roll out a faster network and improve pricing, Son said. Son, who is also president of Japan's Softbank, was in Washington to give a presentation at the US Chamber of Commerce about the benefits of fast wireless networks. He doesn't plan to discuss consolidation specifically, a person familiar with the matter said.