Filed under: Cellphones

Some particularly juicy rumors die hard, and that one certainly qualifies: CNBC is reporting that SK Telecom is looking to hook up with some private equity firms to buy out Sprint Nextel, though a deal is “not imminent.” This one’s been making the rounds since last year, though it’s possible that SKT sees some new impetus for making a break into the US market now that it’s sold off its share in Helio — and buying the third largest carrier in the country would certainly qualify as “making a break.” It’s claimed that SKT’s only interested in completing a friendly deal — no crazy hostile takeovers here — and some of Sprint’s board members aren’t keen on the concept at that point, so it’s definitely a hit-or-miss proposition. If that all means we can get even half of Korea’s domestic hardware on US airwaves, next hey, no complaints on that end.

Update: The Wall Street Journal is now suggesting that Sprint and SKT are investigating some sort of joint venture — not a full-on acquisition — that would see the lovebirds work together on handsets and services. Possible, but we’re curious to know what precisely Sprint brings to the table in that equation. Thanks to everyone who sent that in!

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