Softbank could purchase Sprint stake for $19 billion

According to The Nikkei newspaper, the third largest mobile carrier in Japan, Softbank (also, they are the only ones with an iPhone exclusive in that part of the world) might actually be mulling over the possibility of forking out a cool $19 billion for up to a 75% stake in Sprint in the US. This would definitely send a strong signal to folks who think that the wireless industry in the US are slowly ending up as a duopoly between Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

What do you think of a possible takeover by Softbank? Just what kind of strategic foothold will Softbank be able to gain in the US market assuming the $19 billion buyout goes through, receiving nods of approval from financial regulators in the US? What kind of repercussions will happen in Japan itself, and ripples through the mobile wireless carrier industry across the Pacific? Only time will tell, so stay tuned.