Meanwhile, an IBM spokesman said the vendor plans to issue a statement on its outsourcing relationship with Sprint Nextel in the near future. He declined further comment last week.

Eugene Zakharov, an analyst at Technology Business Research Inc. in Hampton, N.H., said it isn't a big surprise that Sprint Nextel's management team would seek to alter IT agreements signed prior to the merger. "There's no doubt the rescoping is very complex," he said. "Having said that, it's likely that the transition is not going to be too bumpy."