Washington, Sha'ban 07, 1435, June 05, 2014, SPA -- Sprint Corporation has agreed to pay about $32 billion to buy T-Mobile U.S. Incorporated, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters, marking further progress in the effort to merge the third- and fourth-biggest U.S. mobile network operators. The $40-per-share offer is a 17 percent premium above T-Mobile’s closing price Wednesday, giving it a valuation of more than $32 billion. Some analysts said the $40 price, if confirmed, seemed too low. Japan’s Softbank, which owns Sprint, and Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, which owns 67 percent of T-Mobile, still must negotiate the details of a potential merger, including financing and the termination fee to be paid if the transaction gets blocked by regulators, said the source familiar with the matter. Analysts see the regulatory challenge as the biggest obstacle facing the companies since both the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Justice Department expressed a desire to have at least two more network operators competing against market leaders AT&T and Verizon. The U.S. telecommunications sector is in the process to major consolidation, with mobile leader AT&T attempting to buy satellite-television operator DirecTV, and cable-television giant Comcast trying to merge with rival Time Warner. The changes could create two giants and leave Sprint with an inferior business, the source said. -- SPA 18:20 LOCAL TIME 15:20 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w