The proposed deals to bring together Sprint, Clearwire and Japanese giant Softbank and for T-Mobile USA to merge with MetroPCS are both making positive progress.

According to ZDNet, a memo from investment bank Stifel Nicolaus stated that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Julius Genachowski had indicated that a review of the Sprint/Clearwire/Softbank deal is on schedule to make a final decision by May 29. Moreover, the ZDNet article claims that – based on Genachowski’s comments to Stifel Nicolaus – analysts at the bank expect the FCC to approve the proposals.

Softbank announced plans to buy a 70 percent stake in Sprint for $20.1 billion last October. And Sprint owns just more than half of Clearwire and now wants to acquire the rest of the company for $2.97 per share.

If approved by the FCC, the Sprint/Clearwire/Softbank deal still faces a number of obstacles with the Department of Justice (DoJ), FBI and Department of Homeland Security also performing reviews of the proposed deal. These organisations have asked the FCC not to act until they have completed their investigations related to national security, law enforcement and public safety.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that T-Mobile and MetroPCS have received the final regulatory approval needed for their proposed merger, with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States giving the green light for the deal.

The FCC and DoJ said they had no objections to the deal last week, meaning the last remaining hurdle for the deal to take place is a shareholder vote due to take place on 12 April.

The outcome of the shareholder meeting is hard to predict, with some shareholders publicly criticising the merger due to the valuation of MetroPCS and the proposed $21 billion debt level for the combined company.