keywords: stocks carriers reuters mergers sprint
text: Stocks Open Flat, Oil Up, Nextel Eyed  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened little changed on  Wednesday, dampened by another rise in oil prices, but a deal  between wireless carriers Sprint Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=FON.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;FON.N&lt;/A&gt; and Nextel  Communications Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NXTL.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;NXTL.O&lt;/A&gt; worth about \$35 billion boosted  Wall Street hopes for more mergers.