![4 US Wireless Carriers [Image by Intel Free Press|Flickr| Resized and Cropped | CC BY-SA 2.0 ]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/9/14/660x290/b_502x220x82/4-us-wireless-carriers-image-by-intel-free-pressflickr-resized-and-cropped-cc-by-sa-20_1583001.jpg "4 US Wireless Carriers [Image by Intel Free Press|Flickr| Resized and Cropped | CC BY-SA 2.0 ]")
CNBC is reporting that according to people close to the situation, wireless companies T-Mobile and Sprint are having active discussions about a merger. In other news, yesterday drugstore chain Walgreens announced that it has finally gotten regulatory clearance to purchase Rite Aid stores.
Ongoing merger talks between T-Mobile and Sprint
T-Mobile and its parent company Deutsche Telekom have had frequent discussions with Sprint and its parent company Softbank in recent weeks. The two sides have been talking about doing a stock-for-stock merger in which Deutsche Telecom would become the majority owner, while Softbank would likely emerge as a large minority holder.
The talks have been vigorously ongoing and advisors from both companies have been fully engaged from all sides. However, those close to the situation emphasized to CNBC that are still likely weeks away from striking fully finalizing an agreement. They also added that the odds of reaching said deal are not fully guaranteed.
Deutsche Telekom, a German company, and Softbank, a Japanese one. have not yet laid out an exchange rate ration for such a deal but are in talks to reach an agreement on a term sheet. T-Mobile CEO John Legere is expected to lead whatever combination but Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son has made it clear that he wants to influence how the company is run, which would further complicate such a complex deal.
Of course, the biggest issue is if a merger between the fourth (Sprint) and third (T-Mobile) largest wireless carriers in the United States would be approved by anti-trust regulators. The risk of possibly being rejected by the Department of Justice will also factor into both sides as they discuss a deal.
Walgreens finally gets green light on Rite Aid deal
Walgreens announced that it has finally been given regulatory clearance to go ahead with its purchase of Rite Aid stores. This deal came nearly three months after the two sides came to this new agreement after a proposed merger fell through, though it is for fewer stores than originally intended.
Back then Walgreens agreed to buy 2,186 Rite Aid stores for a total of $5.2 billion. In yesterday's announcement, Walgreens said that they would only be buying 1,932 stores for $4.38 billion. They also said that they would be buying Rite Aid's three distribution centers located in Spartanburg, South Carolina; Dayville, Connecticut; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
