Will Verizon buy Sprint?

Short answer: Probably not.

But I think they should. Here's why:
1. They both use CDMA.
2. The longer Sprint sits around like a wounded duck the more AT&T steals their customers via the sleek and sexy iPhone. And if you think AT&T is stealing Sprint's customers now, wait until the 3G iPhone hits the streets.
3. The price war being waged by Sprint ($99 unlimited plan) will prove extremely costly for Verizon by way of profit margins.
4. Verizon has great customer service to complement, SCRATCH THAT, offset, SCRATCH THAT, replace Sprint's extremely horrible customer service.
5. Buying Sprint for a 50% premium which I think is extremely steep for Sprint would only be a $30B investment for VZ based on Sprint's closing price on 3/7/08.

Reasons why it won't happen:
1. Verizon has too much debt right now.
2. Verizon may not want to have to buy the Nextel (not CDMA, iDEN) portion of Sprint.
3. Verizon may be waiting for a better price and the longer they wait the less likely it will happen.

So, why would I want this deal to happen? Hey, I figure if you combine Verizon's customer service with their reach to boondock places in the Northeast like Conway, NH with Sprint's network and their reach to boondock places in the South like the USVI plus the defensive move of preventing AT&T from poaching all of Sprint's customers as well as placing a screeching halt to the ongoing price war it could be a great thing for all: Sprint customers, Verizon & Sprint.

PS: Hold up, now I am hearing that T-mobile may be in talks to purchase Sprint?? Go figure!