Kris Kumar
12-16-2004, 12:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.sprintnextel.mergerannouncement.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.sprintnextel.mergerannouncement.com/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Sprint Corp. said on Wednesday it would buy mobile telephone company Nextel Communications Inc. for about $36 billion, creating a U.S. wireless carrier with nearly 40 million subscribers. The combination of the No. 3 and No. 5 U.S. wireless services narrows the gap with industry leaders Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless and allows Sprint and Nextel to cut costs and pool assets such as airwaves. It comes a month after Cingular completed its $41 billion purchase of AT&T Wireless that vaulted it past Verizon Wireless to become the biggest U.S. mobile provider. Executives of Sprint and Nextel said the complementary strengths of the two companies would help the combined company -- Sprint Nextel -- be a strong competitor."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/kris-sprintnextel.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />It's official, Sprint and Nextel have made the joint statement announcing the merger plans. The combined company will be called Sprint Nextel and the deal is expected to close in the second half of 2005. I was reading the WSJ article on this deal and it mentioned that Nextel will operate the iDEN networks through 2007. It also stated that <i>"Motorola will continue to play a role in the new company".</i> I wonder what will have happen to the Smartphone, Nextel was planning on launching early 2005 or so, the Motorola <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/spt/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4165">i930?</a> :?