telecommunications company Equant broke down this past Friday after argument over money according to a Reuters source.

Global Crossing, which is building undersea and land-based fiber optic communications networks, is the second suitor to talk to Equant over the past week without reaching a deal, Reuters industry sources said.

Equant and Global Crossing declined to comment.

France Telecom had been in merger talks with Equant, but its exclusive right to negotiate a deal ended without an agreement a week ago.

Global Crossing then held preliminary conversations with Equant, but the two firms disagreed over the potential purchase price, the source familiar with the situation said.

Equant, which has turned an aged airline reservation system into a high speed network that can pipe telecoms services around the globe, has long been considered an attractive target but its hefty share price has put off bidders in the past.

German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom AG previously expressed interest in buying Equant.