Having previously experienced opposition from US regulators to a potential acquisition of T-Mobile US, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (pictured) has seen “new movement” in recent months, according to Reuters.

So far regulatory authorities, including the Federal Communications Commission, have shown little enthusiasm for a deal that would see the number of major US operators drop from four to three.

But Son’s comments indicate he is now more optimistic. “I’m not in the position to make the comment on the other end, but, you know, the last few months, there’s new movement,” he said.

Son said he was also looking forward to having more discussions to present his case.

He has argued that a Sprint/T-Mobile US merger would actually strengthen competition in the face of Verizon Wireless and AT&T’s growing dominance of the mobile market.

And the duopoly’s concentration of market power also extends into the US internet access market, he has argued, where Verizon, AT&T and cable giant Comcast increasingly hold sway.

Again he argues allowing a Sprint/T-Mobile US merger would act as a counterweight to the more powerful forces in the market.