Sprint, Softbank to swear off Huawei kit as condition of merger

A US Congressman has said that Sprint and its Japanese suitor Softbank have both pledged not to use equipment manufactured by China's Huawei in Sprint's wireless network, a move that could help the companies clear a hurdle in their planned merger.

Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told The New York Times on Thursday that both companies had voluntarily agreed to shun Huawei equipment as they build out Sprint's existing network. Furthermore, Rogers said, the companies also said they would remove Huawei equipment currently in use by Clearwire, a high-speed wireless data provider that Sprint is in the process of acquiring.