First Qwest, now Embarq rethinks Sprint deal

Embarq's board of directors appointed Tom Gerke to the post of CEO yesterday, after Gerke held the position on an interim basis since December. His first announced plan as the permanent chief executive is to re-examine Embarq's wireless reselling agreement with Sprint, a move that echoes Qwest's similar announcement last week.

Qwest CEO Ed Mueller told analysts late last week [1] that the company's deal with Sprint is not producing enough profit so it is looking elsewhere to fill its wireless "hole." Mueller did not specify Qwest's strategy or say whether he was considering a renewed deal with Sprint or a deal with a different partner. Mueller, however, said he wants to fix Qwest's wireless problem fast.

For more on Gerke's plans for Embarq:
- read this article [2] from the Kansas City Star