Report: T-Mobile Looks to Invest in WiMAX
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, September 28, 2009 · 
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German phone giant Deutsche Telekom, owner of T-Mobile USA, is looking to expand its presence in the United States wireless market, exploring opportunities to partner with U.S.-based service providers on 4G initiatives, according to a report by Bloomberg News.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, Europe’s biggest phone company is looking to invest in Clearwire’s WiMAX network. Sources also told Bloomberg that Deutsche Telekom is in talks with Metro PCS, which recently acquired spectrum to build its own 4G wireless network based upon long-term evolution (LTE) technology.
T-Mobile USA is ranked fourth in the United States in terms of subscribers. Twenty-four percent of Deutsche Telekom’s revenue is derived from the U.S. wireless provider. However, T-Mobile’s subscriber gains have slowed in the last year, and the carrier has yet to announce a 4G strategy.
Clearwire said back in August that it needed $2 billion by year-end to fund its WiMAX network plans. The idea is that Deutsche Telekom would provide the funding. In exchange T-Mobile would be able to access the network.
Also of note, a few weeks ago rumors resurfaced that Deutsche Telekom is looking to acquire Sprint Nextel, which owns 51% of Clearwire. Sprint, the third-largest wireless operator in the U.S., has been struggling to retain customers.
Read the Bloomberg News article.
The New York Times confirms that DT is in talks with Clearwire.
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