Sprint Nextel's CEO, Dan Hesse has ruled out any options for the company to merge with another in the near future, but might consider buying a smaller network if the option exists.

The company, which struggled to manage the takeover of the Nextel iDEN network and was hit with numerous unexpected lawsuits after the takeover has considered merging with other networks, but talks broke down.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Hesse said that right now a meger wouldn't be practical, commenting, "Clearly, the time is not ideal based upon where our shares are currently trading."

He did not however rule out a takeover bid for a smaller rival - noting that "Sometimes something might happen where you might see synergies decrease."

Previous talks that have been reported included a narrow averted takeover of MetroPCS and a merger with T-Mobile USA.

The company is now focusing on its huge upgrade plan to consolidate its various networks into a single platform and work to meeting the company's heavy commitment to selling Apple's iPhone.

The iPhone deal being sufficiently controversial that Hesse had to agree to a pay cut this year following shareholder concerns about the cost of the deal to the company.