Dish Network Makes $5.15B Bid for Clearwire

NEW YORK — Satellite TV provider Dish Network is offering to buy wireless network operator Clearwire — which agreed to sell itself to Sprint in December — for $3.30 per share, or $5.15 billion. Clearwire Corp. said it will discuss the unsolicited offer with Dish. However Sprint, which owns 51 percent of Clearwire, said it would have to sign off on Dish’s offer and that it does not intend to do so. Under the proposed deal, Dish Network Corp. would buy about 24 percent of Clearwire’s spectrum assets for $2.2 billion, and Clearwire would build and manage a wireless network for Dish. Dish would also provide up to $800 million in additional financing to the struggling Clearwire. (MORE: Google Brings Free Public WiFi to Its New York City Neighborhood) In December Sprint Nextel Corp. offered to buy the remaining 49 percent of the Bellevue, Wash., company for $2.90 per share. I...