(Telecompaper) US operator AT&T is considering buying a counterpart in Europe, as a way to try out new technologies and pricing strategies in the mobile market, people familiar with the carrier's thinking told the Wall Street Journal. The company is currently studying targets, and a deal could come before the end of the year, the report said. Possible markets where AT&T could buy a carrier include the UK, Germany or the Netherlands, the paper's sources said. Targets may include Everything Everywhere, the UK mobile operator owned by France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom, or Dutch incumbent KPN. It was not known whether AT&T was already in talks with the European carriers. KPN is 28 percent owned by America Movil, a company in which AT&T owns a small stake and whose owner, Carlos Slim, is a close friend of AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson.