Dish Network rumored to have bought Clearwire’s $400 million debt in secret transaction

August 10, 2012

We’re not in the habit of entering the dry world of corporate debt notes, but Sprint’s latest financial release might disguise a juicy bit of news. There’s a rumor in the business press that Dish Network might have bought around $400 million of Clearwire’s debt — helping relieve the pressure on Sprint, which has been keeping its subsidiary alive on handouts. Unsurprisingly, no-one’s commenting on the rumors, although Dish CEO Joseph Clayton did say he was open to a partnership (or acquisition) with Sprint / Clearwire late last year. If true, it could signal that it’s getting ready for a fight against AT&T — or maybe it just wanted to throw Dan Hesse a bone.