By Sinead Carew

(Reuters) – AT&T Inc added fewer customers than expected in the third quarter due to a shortage of the latest Apple Inc iPhone, highlighting its outsize dependence on the device.

The company’s slowing customer growth shows that it is rapidly losing ground to bigger rival Verizon Wireless. Since most people already have cellphones, operators like AT&T and Verizon have to battle each other to add new customers.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Broadcom Corp on Tuesday forecast a decline in revenue for the fourth quarter due to challenging market conditions including weakness in its infrastructure chip business.

While Broadcom’s third-quarter revenue was better than Wall Street expected, its weak outlook was not a big surprise as chip makers such as Texas Instruments and Intel Corp have posted weak results due to softness in the global economy.

NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Broadcom Corp on
Tuesday forecast a decline in revenue for the fourth quarter due
to challenging market conditions including weakness in its
infrastructure chip business.

While Broadcom’s third-quarter revenue was better than Wall
Street expected, its weak outlook was not a big surprise as chip
makers such as Texas Instruments and Intel Corp
have posted weak results due to softness in the global economy.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Texas Instruments Inc’s quarterly revenue fell as demand for its chips slipped on economic concerns, and the company forecast more weakness this quarter.

The U.S. chipmaker has been under pressure from a weak global economy and a wavering personal computer industry and is wrestling to fill manufacturing capacity it bought for pennies on the dollar following the global credit crisis.

TOKYO/NEW YORK, Oct 12 (Reuters) – Japanese wireless service
provider Softbank Corp is looking to buy about 70
percent of Sprint Nextel Corp in an aggressive move that
would make it a major player in the U.S. mobile market.

Softbank’s ambitions may not stop with Sprint, which might
be looking to buy out its partner, wireless service provider
Clearwire Corp.

TOKYO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Japanese wireless service provider Softbank Corp (9984.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is looking to buy roughly 70 percent of Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in a bold move that would make it a major player in the U.S. mobile market.

But Softbank’s ambitions may not stop with Sprint, which might also be looking to buy out its partner, Clearwire Corp (CLWR.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). The Japanese company might also be aiming to use Sprint as a vehicle to make a run at smaller Sprint peer MetroPCS Communications Inc (PCS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), a two-step transaction that would potentially cost more than 2 trillion yen ($25.55 billion), according to a Nikkei report.

TOKYO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Japanese mobile carrier Softbank Corp may buy a majority stake in Sprint Nextel Corp to establish a foothold in the U.S. wireless market, in what could be the largest Japanese acquisition ever in America.

But Softbank’s ambitions may not stop with Sprint; Nikkei reported that the Japanese company was aiming to use Sprint as a vehicle to make a run at smaller Sprint peer MetroPCS, a two-step transaction that would potentially cost more than 2 trillion yen (15.92 billion pounds).

TOKYO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Softbank Corp (9984.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Japan’s third-largest mobile carrier, is in talks to buy a majority stake in U.S. operator Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) for more than 1 trillion yen ($12.8 billion), according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

Softbank said reports about the talks were “based on speculation” and it had no comment. Sprint declined to comment. The report drove Sprint shares up 16 percent in premarket trading Thursday.

TOKYO/NEW YORK, Oct 11 (Reuters) – Softbank Corp,
Japan’s third-largest mobile carrier, is in talks to buy a
majority stake in U.S. operator Sprint Nextel Corp for
more than 1 trillion yen ($12.8 billion), according to a source
with direct knowledge of the matter.

Softbank said reports about the talks were “based on
speculation” and it had no comment. Sprint declined to comment.
The report drove Sprint shares up 16 percent in premarket
trading Thursday.