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15-Oct-2012
Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Creation of a Direct Financial Obl
Merger Agreement
On October 15, 2012, Sprint Nextel Corporation, a Kansas corporation (the "Company"), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement") with SOFTBANK CORP., a Japanese kabushiki kaisha ("SoftBank"), Starburst I, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank ("HoldCo"), Starburst II, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of HoldCo ("Parent"), and Starburst III, Inc., a Kansas corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent ("Merger Sub"), pursuant to which, at the effective time of the Merger (the "Effective Time"), Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the "Merger"). Upon consummation of the Merger, Parent will be renamed Sprint Corporation.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement and upon the terms and subject to the
conditions described therein, each outstanding share of Series 1 common stock,
$2.00 par value per share, of the Company ("Company Common Stock"), other than
shares cancelled and retired at the Effective Time (as defined in the Merger
Agreement) or held by Parent and Dissenting Shares (as defined in the Merger
Agreement), will be converted at the Effective Time into either (i) with respect
to shares of Company Common Stock for which an election to receive cash has been
effectively made, subject to the election and allocation procedures in the
Merger Agreement, cash in an amount equal to $7.30 (subject to proration),
(ii) with respect to shares of Company Common Stock for which an election to
receive common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of Parent ("Parent Common
Stock") has been effectively made, one share of Parent Common Stock (subject to
proration), or (iii) with respect to shares of Company Common Stock for which no
election to receive cash or Parent Common Stock has been effectively made,
either (x) cash in an amount equal to $7.30, (y) one share of Parent Common
Stock or (z) a combination of cash and a fraction of a share of Parent Common
Stock (collectively, the "Merger Consideration"). Immediately following the
Merger, subject to the terms of the Merger Agreement, it is expected that HoldCo
will hold shares of Parent Common Stock representing approximately 69.642% of
the fully-diluted equity of Parent (excluding shares of Parent Common Stock
issuable upon exercise of the warrant contemplated by the Warrant Agreement
discussed below), and the former stockholders and other former equityholders of
the Company will hold, collectively, shares of Parent Common Stock and other
equity securities of Parent collectively representing approximately 30.358% of
the fully-diluted equity of Parent (excluding shares of Parent Common Stock
issuable upon exercise of the warrant contemplated by the Warrant Agreement
discussed below). The exchanges for Parent Common Stock that occur pursuant to
the Merger, taken together, are expected to constitute exchanges described in
Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for U.S. federal
income tax purposes.
At or prior to the Effective Time, SoftBank will cause HoldCo (i) to contribute to Parent not less than $17.04 billion (of which amount $12.14 billion will be paid to the Company's stockholders as part of the Merger Consideration and $4.9 billion will remain in the cash balances of Parent following the Effective Time) and (ii) to enter into a Warrant Agreement with Parent substantially in the form attached to the Merger Agreement (the "Warrant Agreement"). Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, for a period of five years after the Effective Date, HoldCo will have the right to purchase up to 54,579,924 shares of Parent Common Stock for a price of $5.25 per share.
The consummation of the Merger is subject to obtaining the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Company Common Stock in favor of the adoption of the
The Merger Agreement contains representations and warranties and covenants customary for a transaction of this nature. The Company is subject to restrictions on its ability to solicit alternative acquisition proposals and to provide information to, and engage in discussion with, third parties regarding such proposals, except under limited circumstances to permit the Company's board of directors to comply with its fiduciary duties.
The Merger Agreement contains certain termination rights for both the Company and Parent. Upon termination of the Merger Agreement, under specified circumstances (including in connection with a superior offer), the Company may be required to pay a termination fee of $600 million to Parent. In addition, if the Merger Agreement is terminated because the Company's stockholders do not approve and adopt the Merger Agreement, and prior to such termination certain triggering events described in the Merger Agreement have not occurred, then the Company may be required to reimburse Parent for its fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Merger Agreement up to $75 million. Upon termination of the Merger Agreement, under specified circumstances (including failure of Parent to obtain financing), Parent may be required to pay a reverse termination fee of $600 million to the Company.
In accordance with the Merger Agreement, upon consummation of the Merger, the Parent board of directors will consist of ten members, comprising six directors appointed by SoftBank (of which six members, three will be independent directors under the listing standards of the NYSE), three independent directors selected from the Company's board of directors immediately prior to the Effective Time, and the Company's chief executive officer.
. . .
See the description under the heading "Bond Purchase Agreement" set out under "Item 1.01 - Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement," which is incorporated by reference into this Item 2.03.
See the description under the heading "Bond Purchase Agreement" set out under "Item 1.01 - Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement," which is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02.
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit
Number Description
2.1 Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 15, 2012, by and
among Sprint Nextel Corporation, SOFTBANK CORP., Starburst I, Inc.,
Starburst II, Inc. and Starburst III, Inc.*
10.1 Bond Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 15, 2012, by and between
Sprint Nextel Corporation and Starburst II, Inc.*
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* This filing excludes schedules and exhibits pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K, which the registrant agrees to furnish supplementally to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request by the Commission.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This document includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the securities laws. The words "may," "could," "should," "estimate," "project," "forecast," intend," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "target," "plan," "providing guidance" and similar expressions are intended to identify information that is not historical in nature.
This document contains forward-looking statements relating to the proposed transaction between Sprint Nextel Corporation ("Sprint") and SOFTBANK CORP. ("SoftBank") and its group companies, including Starburst II, Inc. ("Starburst II") pursuant to a merger agreement and bond purchase agreement. All statements, other than historical facts, including statements regarding the expected timing of the closing of the transaction; the ability of the parties to complete the transaction considering the various closing conditions; the expected benefits of the transaction such as improved operations, enhanced revenues and cash flow, growth potential, market profile and financial strength; the competitive ability and position of SoftBank or Sprint; and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing, are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon current plans, estimates and expectations that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The inclusion of
None of Sprint, SoftBank or Starburst II undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed strategic combination, Starburst II plans to file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 that will include a proxy statement of Sprint, and that also will constitute a prospectus of Starburst II. Sprint will mail the proxy statement/prospectus to its stockholders. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE BECAUSE IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. The proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about Sprint, SoftBank and Starburst II, will be available, free of charge, from the SEC's web site (www.sec.gov). Sprint's SEC filings in connection with the transaction also may be obtained, free of charge, from Sprint's web site (www.sprint.com) under the tab "About Us - Investors" and then under the heading "Documents and Filings - SEC Filings," or by directing a request to Sprint, 6200 Sprint Parkway, Overland Park, Kansas 66251, Attention: Shareholder Relations or (913) 794-1091. Starburst II's SEC filings in connection with the transaction (when filed) also may be obtained, free of charge, by directing a request to SoftBank, 1-9-1 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-7303, Japan; telephone: +81.3.6889.2290; e-mail: ir@softbank.co.jp.
Participants in the Merger Solicitation
The respective directors, executive officers and employees of Sprint, SoftBank, Starburst II and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the transaction. Information regarding Sprint's directors and executive officers is available in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. Other information regarding the interests of such individuals as well as information regarding SoftBank's and Starburst II's directors and executive officers will be available in the proxy statement/prospectus when it becomes available. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. This
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