Huawei May Be Issue in U.S. Review of Softbank Bid for Sprint

Softbank Corp. buys mobile-phone network gear from Chinese companies viewed as security threats by U.S. lawmakers, and the relationship may become an issue as regulators review its bid for Sprint Nextel Corp.

Softbank’s connections with Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp., China’s two largest makers of phone-network equipment, probably won’t kill its $20.1 billion offer for 70 percent of Sprint, said Stewart Baker, a former U.S. Homeland Security Department official. It’s likely, though, that U.S. officials will address those links when they scrutinize the deal, he said.