AT&T again said to be considering Dish Network acquisition

After the company’s failed acquisition of T-Mobile, AT&T is said to be in dire need of additional wireless spectrum and may be looking at Dish Network, the second-largest satellite-television provider in the United States. “AT&T wants to get more spectrum,” said Recon Analytics Roger Entner in a telephone interview with Bloomberg. “They are a year behind Verizon in the LTE race. Dish would undoubtedly be a good combination and it would solve a lot of AT&T’s problems.” Dish acquired spectrum from the bankruptcies of DBSD North America and TerreStar Networks. President and CEO Joe Clayton said the company is open to future acquisitions, and with airwaves limited, Dish has become a valuable target. AT&T may now be looking to pay the highest premium in more than a decade to acquire the satellite TV provider, according to Bloomberg. At a reported $50 a share, AT&T would have to pay a 77% premium for Dish, the highest in an acquisition greater than $5 billion by a telecommunications company since 2000. AT&T and Dish Network declined to comment.

Read