Clearwire Receives Bid From Sprint: Why Now?

Sprint announced this morning through a regulatory filing that its board had authorized management to engage Clearwire in merger discussions where Sprint would acquire the 49% of Clearwire it does not already own for $2.90 per share in cash, or approximately $2.1 billion in aggregate. The proposed transaction is intended to qualify as a “Qualifying Purchase” under Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ:CLWR)’s Equityholders’ Agreement. As such, it will need approval of a majority of the directors on Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ:CLWR)’s board (excluding Sprint’s nominees) and by a majority of the voting shareholders (excluding Sprint’s holdings). Sprint expects any definitive merger agreement would contain language stating that the proposed…