Amazon .com Inc is interested in buying prepaid cellphone wireless service Boost Mobile from US carriers T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Amazon is considering buying Boost mainly because the deal would allow it to use T-Mobile's wireless network for at least six years, one of the sources said. Amazon would also be interested in any wireless spectrum that could be divested, the source said.
Amazon declined to comment. T-Mobile and Sprint did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It was not immediately clear why the largest US online retailer would want the wireless network and spectrum.
Amazon has already been building experience by offering phone calls through its Echo Connect product, which uses a person's home phone service and allows an Alexa-enabled voice-activated speaker to make phone calls.