That was quick. We heard earlier this week that the Sprint and Clearwire merger has passed, allowing the combined company to move forward with their WiMAX plans. Word comes now that they will begin offering dual-mode, CDMA/mobile WiMAX modems by the end of the year. As in this year, 2008. This is supposed to happen in Baltimore, where Sprint launched mobile WiMAX back in September. The service will be dubbed “Sprint 4G.”
Utilizing dual-band devices will be critical while this technology is in its infancy. WiMAX is still new, and there aren’t many networks running around the country. By offering devices that can switch between CDMA signal and mobile WiMAX networks, Sprint is offering its best service while in range, and a viable alternative when not. This could attract more early adopters.
This service will work alongside Clearwire’s own service, branded “Clear” which will replace Xohm, Sprint’s former working WiMAX name. Strangely enough, despite the merger, Sprint is actually operating as a Mobile Virtual Netwrok Operator (MVNO) of Clearwire.
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