SoftBank Weighs $90 Billion Value for Mobile Unit

SoftBank is considering seeking a valuation of about $90 billion for its domestic wireless business in a planned initial public offering, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.

SoftBank is speaking to advisers about selling a third, or about $30 billion, of the business in the IPO, the people said, asking not to be named. Discussions are preliminary and the final valuation will depend on investors’ feedback, they said.

A $30 billion-IPO would make SoftBank Mobile the largest listing ever. Alibaba made its market debut in 2014 with a $25 billion offering, the biggest so far. SoftBank is seeking a higher price-to-earnings premium for its wireless business than its closest publicly traded peers, NTT Docomo and KDDI, the people said.

The SoftBank unit could be listed as early as the fourth quarter, the people said. Other companies coming to market this year with high expectations on valuations have found investors don’t always agree with them. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son said in his investor presentation Monday that he’s working toward a listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.