Sprint in Talks to Buy Clearwire

Sprint Nextel is in talks to acquire the 49% of Clearwire it does not already own in a move to clear up a tangled ownership structure that has left Sprint unable to control the decisions of a key strategic partner, people familiar with the situation said. A deal may not happen and could be complicated by the pending acquisition of Sprint by Japan’s Softbank and the need for approval from a diverse group of Clearwire shareholders, one of the people said. Sprint may seek to condition a Clearwire deal on the Softbank deal going through, the person said.