Sprint, T-Mobile merger talks reportedly back on again

The on-again, off-again merger talks between telecom rivals Sprint and T-Mobile are apparently back on again, CNBC reports.   

The business news channel reports that SoftBank-owned Sprint (S) and Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile (TMUS) are negotiating a stock-based merger that would  make Deutsche Telekom the majority owner of both wireless carriers.

A merger between T-Mobile and Sprint -- the nation's No. 3 and No. 4 wireless carriers, respectively --would create a powerful wireless company capable of taking on Verizon and AT&T, according to CBSNews.com sibling website ZDNet.

Neither T-Mobile nor Sprint commented on the CNBC report.

The two companies previously held merger talks in 2014, when Sprint was seeking to become the majority owner of the combined carriers. The deal collapsed amid signs of anti-trust concerns at the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Reports surfaced earlier this year that the two companies were back at the negotiating table after T-Mobile CEO John Legere noted a Sprint merger could be a "a potential future outcome" with a presumably business-friendlier Donald Trump in the White House.