Sprint is the third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. The bidding war for control of Sprint is turning into a ego-driven and heated duel between Dish Network and SoftBank. In an interview with USA Today yesterday, Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen called his shot pointing to left-field and swung back at Japan’s SoftBank. The gist? Dish Network’s bid to buy Sprint Nextel is financially superior. He further questioned SoftBank’s ability to grow a U.S. wireless carrier from an ocean away. (Which, despite the stench of Americanism, does hold some water.) Sprint trails AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless in customer count and the reach of its fastest data network, but the company is still a very attractive acquisition target. As third in the U.S., Sprint is a great springboard into the carrier battle with its valuable airwaves and its 51% ownership of another carrier, Clearwire.

On today’s Live NewsDesk Show with Kristin Feledy (see live stream below) we’ll be hearing from SiliconANGLE’s Contributing Editor John Casaretto on who’s the leader in the clubhouse for acquiring Sprint. What are the current offers on the table and how far apart are they? Why is Sprint Nextel such an attractive acquisition to these companies? If they are successful in their bid, what plans does Dish have in store for the acquisition? How about SoftBank?

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