Sept 29 (Reuters) - U.S. telecom company Verizon

Communications ( VZ ) is in discussions with EchoStar ( SATS ) about

purchasing some of its wireless spectrum, Bloomberg News

reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The discussions involve the satellite communications firm's

AWS-3 licenses, valuable for carrying 5G wireless signals, the

report said.

If the deal goes through, Verizon would join AT&T ( T ) and

SpaceX as buyers of EchoStar's ( SATS ) wireless spectrum licenses,

according to Bloomberg.

Earlier this month, EchoStar ( SATS ) said it expects to hold $24.1

billion in cash after using spectrum sale proceeds to repay

debt, further strengthening its balance sheet and supporting

growth across wireless, satellite and tech.

The company started selling certain assets after the U.S.

Federal Communications Commission raised concerns over its

compliance with spectrum buildout rules and use of

mobile-satellite service spectrum.

EchoStar's ( SATS ) regulatory filing values its AWS-3 spectrum at a

"carrying amount" of $9.8 billion, according to the report.

Another part of it is set to be auctioned off by the

federal government next year.