AT&T may not have been able to buy up T-Mobile and all its precious radio frequency spectrum, but it shouldn’t have any trouble acquiring NextWave Wireless with its Wireless Communication Services (WCS) and Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) spectrum licenses.
Under the terms of the buyout, AT&T will acquire all of NextWave’s equity for approximately $25 million plus a contingent payment of up to approximately $25 million and, through a separate agreement with NextWave’s debt-holders, NextWave outstanding debt for $600 million in cash. NextWave, which s a holding company for mobile multimedia businesses and a wireless spectrum portfolio, has been mired in the pink sheets, so it comes as no surprise that its debt-holders have agreed to the terms, and a majority of shareholders support the transaction.
What AT&T gets for it’s $650-million is access to WCS spectrum.