Alltel may be looking for a buyer.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Little Rock, Ark.-based Alltel has solicited AT&T about a potential deal and has broached the subject with Verizon Communications and Sprint Nextel.
Yet Alltel’s high market valuation could pose an obstacle to any deal. The mobile carrier is valued at almost $22 billion, a number sure to rise if takeover talk persists.
Yes, this does matter to Disney because telecom companies are now distributors of content. The fewer distributors, the fewer options Disney has. Fortunately, there are still many "pipelines" out there other than telecom, ranging from satellite to cable to DSL to terrestrial broadcasting, to physical media, and more.