RARE ALERT: Inmarsat said to be working on US takeover deal

Regular viewers of my Tip TV slot will know that I have been working on a story involving London-listed Inmarsat, the satellite network operator.

Well, I haven't managed to completely get to the bottom of the story out but I think I am barking up the right tree, so here is the tale.

Well-placed sources tell me Inmarsat has been working furiously hard on an acquisition of a US-based business, with a view to closing a deal in the next few months.

Don't, though, get too excited - I understand that Inmarsat's takeover target is a private company.

Now, to be clear I have no idea which company Inmarsat is in talks to buy.

However, I guess one potential target could be LightSquared, the wireless telecoms company that is emerging from bankruptcy. Here is a link to a Wall Street Journal piece on the current situation with LightSquared:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/judge-approves-lightsquareds-restructuring-proposal-1427398643

Inmarsat and LightSquared have history: when billionaire hedge fund manager Phil Falcone started up LightSquared during the credit boom he built up a stake in Inmarsat via his fund, Harbinger, and made an approach for the London-listed company in 2008.

Inmarsat then developed a partnership with LightSquared although it was suspended two years ago after the US company filed for bankruptcy protection.

This story has been tagged as RARE. For readers unfamiliar with the RARE concept, the definition is below:

Market gossip that hasn't been tested through formal journalistic channels (public relations executives, bankers etc). The rumour might be total codswallop but then again there may be something in it, so it's worth airing on Betaville.