Proposed Business Transactions and Acquisitions

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 3. Proposed Business Transactions

SoftBank Transaction

On October 15, 2012, Sprint entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (Merger Agreement) with SOFTBANK CORP., a kabushiki kaisha organized and existing under the laws of Japan, and certain of its wholly-owned subsidiaries (together, "SoftBank"). In addition, on October 15, 2012, Sprint and SoftBank entered into a Bond Purchase Agreement (Bond Agreement).

Bond Agreement

Pursuant to the Bond Agreement, on October 22, 2012, Sprint issued a convertible bond (Bond) to Starburst II, (New Sprint, a subsidiary of SoftBank) with a principal amount of $3.1 billion, interest rate of 1%, and maturity date of October 15, 2019, which is convertible into 590,476,190 shares of Sprint common stock at $5.25 per share, or approximately 16.4% upon conversion of the Bond (based on Sprint common shares outstanding as of March 31, 2013), subject to adjustment in accordance with the terms of the Bond Agreement. This conversion feature remains in effect in the event the merger (SoftBank Merger) does not close. Interest on the Bond is due and payable in cash semiannually in arrears on April 15 and October 15 of each year, commencing on April 15, 2013. Upon receipt of regulatory approval, the Bond will be converted into Sprint shares immediately prior to consummation of the SoftBank Merger and may not otherwise be converted prior to the termination of the Merger Agreement. Conversion of the Bond is subject to receipt of any required approvals and subject to receipt of a waiver under the Company's secured equipment credit facility. Subject to certain exceptions, SoftBank may not transfer the Bond without Sprint's consent.

Merger Agreement

Upon consummation of the SoftBank Merger, which is subject to various conditions, including Sprint shareholder and regulatory approval, SoftBank will fund New Sprint with additional capital of approximately $17.0 billion, of which approximately $12.1 billion will be distributed to Sprint shareholders as merger consideration with the remaining $4.9 billion held in the cash balance of New Sprint for general corporate purposes, including but not limited to the Clearwire Acquisition described below. Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Merger Agreement, upon consummation of the SoftBank Merger, outstanding shares of Sprint common stock, except as otherwise provided for in the Merger Agreement, will be converted, at the election of Sprint shareholders, into (i) cash in an amount equal to $7.30 for each share of Sprint common stock or (ii) one share of New Sprint common stock for each share of Sprint common stock, subject in each case to proration such that a shareholder may receive a combination of cash and New Sprint common stock.

Upon consummation of the SoftBank Merger, SoftBank will receive a five-year warrant to purchase 54,579,924 shares in New Sprint at $5.25 per share which would yield approximately $300 million in proceeds upon exercise. Upon consummation of the SoftBank Merger, (i) Sprint will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Sprint, (ii) New Sprint will be a publicly traded company, (iii) SoftBank will indirectly own approximately 70% of New Sprint on a fully diluted basis, and (iv) the former shareholders and other equityholders of Sprint will own approximately 30% of the fully diluted equity of New Sprint. The SoftBank Merger is subject to various conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals and approval of Sprint's shareholders, and is currently expected to close no earlier than July 1, 2013.

Under the terms of the secured equipment credit facility, consummation of the SoftBank Merger would constitute a change of control that would require repayment of all outstanding balances thereunder. Amounts outstanding under the secured equipment credit facility, which were approximately $445 million in the aggregate at March 31, 2013, would become due and payable at the time of closing. Sprint is currently in discussions with the existing lender under the secured equipment credit facility and intends to amend this facility to, among other things, exclude the SoftBank Merger from the change of control provisions.

Acquisition of Assets from U.S. Cellular

On November 6, 2012, Sprint entered into a definitive agreement with United States Cellular Corporation (U.S. Cellular) to acquire personal communications services (PCS) spectrum and approximately 585,000 customers in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, including the Chicago and St. Louis markets, for $480 million in cash. Sprint has agreed, in connection with the acquisition, to reimburse U.S. Cellular for certain network shut-down costs in these markets. These costs are expected to range from $130 million to $150 million on a net present value basis, but in no event will Sprint's reimbursement obligation exceed $200 million on an undiscounted basis. The additional spectrum will be used to supplement Sprint's coverage in these areas. Sprint and U.S. Cellular will enter into transition services agreements as a condition to closing of the acquisition which will outline the terms of services to be provided by U.S. Cellular during the period after closing and prior to the transfer of the acquired customers to Sprint's network. In March 2013, we received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for the transaction, which is expected to close in May 2013.

Acquisition of Remaining Stake in Clearwire

On December 17, 2012, Sprint entered into a merger agreement with Clearwire Corporation to acquire all of the remaining equity interests in Clearwire Corporation that Sprint does not currently own for approximately $2.2 billion in cash, or $2.97 per share (Clearwire Acquisition). In connection with the Clearwire Acquisition, Clearwire Corporation and Sprint have entered into a financing agreement that provides up to $800 million of additional financing for Clearwire in the form of 1% exchangeable notes (Clearwire Exchangeable Notes), due June 2018, which will be exchangeable for Clearwire Corporation common stock at $1.50 per share, subject to certain conditions and subject to adjustment. Under the financing agreement, Sprint has agreed to purchase $80 million of Clearwire Exchangeable Notes per month for up to 10 months beginning in January 2013, with some of the monthly purchases subject to certain funding conditions, including conditions relating to approval of the Clearwire Acquisition by Clearwire's shareholders and the parties agreeing to a network build out plan (see Note 4). On January 31, 2013, Sprint and Clearwire entered into an amendment to the financing agreement which extended the date the parties were to agree to a network build out plan from January 31, 2013 to February 28, 2013. The Clearwire Acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is contingent on the consummation of the SoftBank Merger, and is expected to close in mid-2013.

On February 26, 2013, Sprint and Clearwire amended the financing agreement to remove the network build out condition to Sprint's obligation to provide financing for the last three draws (in August, September and October 2013). Accordingly, Clearwire, at its option, is eligible for the last three draws, totaling $240 million.

DISH Network Proposal

On April 15, 2013, Sprint received an unsolicited proposal from DISH Network (DISH) to acquire Sprint for total consideration of $25.5 billion, consisting of $17.3 billion in cash and $8.2 billion in common stock (based on the closing price of DISH common stock on April 12, 2013). On April 22, 2013 Sprint announced that its Board of Directors formed a Special Committee of independent directors to review and carefully evaluate the proposal received from DISH with its financial and legal advisors consistent with its fiduciary and legal duties. The Special Committee plans to evaluate the proposal and additional information that the committee has requested from DISH and provide its assessment to the full Board in due course whether the proposal is, or is reasonably likely to lead to, a Superior Offer (as defined in the Agreement and Plan of Merger with SoftBank).