Sprint Nextel Seeks OK to Transfer Some Assets to SoftBank

SoftBank’s $20 billion takeover of Sprint Nextel is moving ahead according to plan, but as with any transaction of this size, there are lots of moving parts to address and agencies to appease. And so, on Thursday the two companies filed a document with the Federal Communications Commission seeking approval to transfer control of a number of Sprint assets to SoftBank. Among those assets: Sprint’s FCC licenses and its prospective de jure controlling interest in Clearwire’s licenses. The companies expect to complete the deal by mid-2013.