It's not the first time Sprint Nextel was involved in an acquisition rumor - earlier this year, there were speculations that Korea's SK Telecom might be acquiring Sprint Nextel. But SKT denied the acquisition rumor and has not made any such move yet. Instead, the Korean giant invested yet another $270M in Helio in September.
Even aside from the US activities, SK Telecom seems to be in an acquisition mode in Korea these days, with its plan to buy Hanaro Telecom. Hanaro is Korea's #2 broadband and landline service operator. If the acquisition comes through, SKT will become a true end-to-end service provider spanning mobile and broadband, fortifying its market-leader position.
