Japan’s SoftBank is reportedly making moves to buy a $1 billion stake in US mobile device distributor Brightstar.

According to The Nikkei business daily, SoftBank is in advanced discussions to purchase up to 70 per cent equity in the firm.

SoftBank, which owns Sprint, the third-largest operator in the US, is reportedly looking at the Brightstar deal to boost its bargaining power with handset manufacturers.

A 16 October statement from Softbank acknowledged that discussions with the distributor were underway but “nothing has been decided at this point”.

Brightstar buys handsets from more than 100 manufacturers worldwide, including Samsung, Apple, LG Electronics and Sony.