SK Telecom has gone on record to deny reports this week that it is looking to acquire a majority stake in Sprint Nextel, the US mobile operator. “We are studying various business opportunities in the United States but are not seeking to take control in (any) major US mobile operator,” SK Telecom said in a filing to the South Korea exchange this morning, reports Reuters. The operator had initially refused to comment on the speculation until the Exchange requested SK clarify the various media reports, which were first aired on Tuesday by US business TV channel CNBC.

The operator’s decision to publicly rule out the acquisition rumours may also be linked to the negative impact that the speculation has had on its share price, which has posted consecutive losses over the last two days. According to Reuters, investors are sceptical of SK Telecom making further investments in the US following the sizable losses it made with its Helio MVNO venture, which it recently sold to Virgin Mobile USA. However, while SK has ruled out taking a majority equity stake in a US operator it did not comment on later rumours that it was planning a “strategic partnership” with Sprint Nextel that could involve collaboration over new handsets and services.