Verizon CEO: We're talking to Qwest

Yesterday Qwest announced that its deal with Sprint was not profitable enough, and now Verizon chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg admitted that his company was in talks with Qwest to step in and ink a deal. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the Sprint deal also restricts Qwest from offering the latest handsets available, which is another factor that has led Qwest to seek a new partner (or better deal with Sprint) once the existing deal expires next year.

Instead of buying wholesale minutes from Sprint and reselling them like an MVNO, Qwest could earn commission for selling branded Verizon Wireless service.

For more on the potential deal:
- read this article from the WSJ (sub. req.)