Japanese communications company Softbank is considering various options for its future stake in eAccess. Softbank acquired the stake in a USD 1.84 billion deal earlier this month and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son said the company has not changed its intention to buy a 100 percent stake in the company, Reuters reports. Japanese media reported earlier that Softbank is considering selling its majority stake in eAccess after it completes the buyout next February.
Meanwhile, the Nikkei reported without naming its sources that the two companies are in talks on a new stock ratio for the transaction. Under the agreement reached in early October, each eAccess share was to be swapped for 16.74 Softbank shares. But Softbank's stock price has declined sharply since the company announced plans to acquire US carrier Sprint Nextel. Softbank shares closed at JPY 2,527 on 31 October, down 18.7 percent from the base price used to calculate the initial swap ratio. No major changes are expected to the roughly JPY 180 billion acquisition price for eAccess, but Softabnk hopes a more favourable ratio will help convince eAccess shareholders to accept the offer.
