Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Dish Network (NASDAQ:DISH) reportedly are in early-stage talks to build a mobile network that would take-on AT&T (NYSE:T) and Verizon (NYSE:VZ).
Dish purchased a swath of mobile spectrum back in 2008, but to create a network, the company needs to find a major partner. Google would provide its highly popular Android operating system as well as the assets from Motorola, according to the Wall Street Journal. Plus, Google could draw from its $45 billion in cash.
Still, Dish might need more — specifically, a partner that has an infrastructure of cellular towers. T-Mobile USA and Sprint (NYSE:S) are among more notable examples, though those companies already are in the process of merging with larger players.
Tom Taulli runs the InvestorPlace blog IPOPlaybook, a site dedicated to the hottest news and rumors about initial public offerings. He is also the author of “How to Create the Next Facebook.” Follow him on Twitter at @ttaulli. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
