 From PCS Intel: "Sprint intends to deploy a national, non-fixed WiMax network with as much, if not more coverage than the existing CDMA network. WiMax will effectively  act
as a replacement to CDMA data, providing (fiber optic service)
speeds via massive towers that resemble TV towers in major
cities. This will enable Sprint to not only
be a national ISP, but to remove common conceptions of a fixed
ISP. "The WiMax modem technology Sprint is attempting to deploy will ensure that a broad range of WiMax devices will share an account... for example, WiMax deployments could fit in a PDA that would share bandwidth allocations with home internet that would share bandwidth allocations with your HDTV. Sprint intends to compete directly with Cable, Satellite, ISPs, and traditional Wireless. By bundling all telecommunication services ever envisioned, Sprint will tackle everyone by offering everything. "Sprint has multiple hurdles it must cross in order to obtain this vision. First, Sprint must gain a WiMax  standard.
Sprint is doing this by attempting to force WiMax standards
through as an open modem technology:
one WiMax device is compatible with
another, and is mobile from the start.
If this fails, Sprint will most likely divert to the nearest
derivative of WiMax, currently WiBro... "But, Sprint was late to the WiMax game... Sprint lacks the licenses to deploy a national WiMax network on the critical 700 MHz band. In comes the FCC. As a part of the transaction of iDEN to the federal government, Sprint will gain a blank check to rebuild the 700 and 800 MHz bands in their image, taking licenses as needed from 
whoever has them regardless of how fairly they gained them at
FCC auction in the past. "Sprint will form a network coalition to utilize dark fiber across the country to connect the city-wide WiMax towers whenever possible, feeding into Sprintlink backbones in order to ensure that the entire network is able to deliver above-DSL speeds to all customers at all times. Clearly, the goal is to make all metropolitan areas at least initially wired via fiber, and eventually, to create a national fiber optics 'spine' that will connect every citizen wirelessly to a fiber optics internet directly." Read the full story at PCS Intel. |