Softbank to Invest $16 Billion at Sprint

Softbank Corp. plans to invest $16 billion in Sprint over the next two years, mostly to support Sprint's Long Term Evolution network, more than doubling the investment Sprint has been making on its own. 

After the two-year surge, spending is expected to stabilize at about $6 billion annually. 

Softbank also believes it can cut $2 billion to $3 billion annually, based on increased purchasing volume for items such as smart phones and base stations.

Whatever else might happen, the SoftBank purchase of Sprint already has vaulted SoftBank into third place globally for mobile revenue.