T-Mobile, Verizon in talks to buy and break up U.S. Cellular, WSJ reports

T-Mobile (TMUS) and Verizon (VZ) are in talks to carve up U.S. Cellular (USM) in separate transactions that would give both buyers access to valuable airwaves, reported The Wall Street Journal’s Drew FitzGerald and Lauren Thomas. T-Mobile is closing in on a deal to buy a chunk of the regional carrier for more than $2B and take over some operations and wireless spectrum licenses, people familiar with the matter said. The T-Mobile deal could be reached as soon as later this month, while discussions with Verizon on a separate transaction are expected to take longer or might not result in an agreement, the sources said, adding that the split-sale structure is designed to ease antitrust worries about competition.