Personal Connections Could Propel Deutsche Telekom- Sprint Nextel Deal

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace) -- Although there is renewed media speculation that the telecom giant Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT) might be getting ready to make a buyout bid for Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), there appears to be some who see this as being a distant possibility, notwithstanding the personal connections between the two companies.

For example, The New York Times reported that the signals of a merger are ambiguous at best:

"Sprint Nextel’s stock rose more than 6 percent Monday morning following reports that Deutsche Telekom was considering buying it — but investors might want to be wary," The Times reported in an online article on Monday.

Because these two telecom companies deploy disparate technologies, The Times added, any merger between the two companies would have a high hurdle to leap.

Yet the personal ties between the two companies could help them to meet this challenge.

NewsVisual created an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map that shows that there exist seven individuals who could potentially act as go-betweens for Sprint and Deutsche Telecom.

The Map illustrates that the majority of the connections run through a Deutsche Telekom company named T-Com, which is now called T-Home.

These personal connections could serve to spur merger negotiations between the two companies.

Click here for an interactive and fuller version of this IntellectSpace Knowledge Map.

(Note: the information contained and presented in Knowledge Maps is public information from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America).