Sprint accelerates WiMAX plan

ORLANDO, FLA. -- Sprint this week announced an expansion of its mobile WiMAX initiatives and relationships as it looks to hit its service roll out targets.

At the CTIA Wireless 2007 conference here, Sprint announced that it will turn up WiMAX service in 12 additional cities in 2008. They are Boston, Denver, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Mich., Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore.., Providence, RI., Salt Lake City, and Seattle.

These cities join previously announced service initiatives in Austin, Texas., Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Texas., San Antonio, and Washington D.C.,

Sprint also announced additional handset and PC card manufacturers to develop products for its mobile WiMAX network. Samsung will develop PC cards available in both single WiMAX mode and dual CDMA 1xEV DO/WiMAX mode for WiMAX service launch use.

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ORLANDO, FLA. -- Sprint this week announced an expansion of its mobile WiMAX initiatives and relationships as it looks to hit its service roll out targets.

At the CTIA Wireless 2007 conference here, Sprint announced that it will turn up WiMAX service in 12 additional cities in 2008. They are Boston, Denver, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Mich., Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore.., Providence, RI., Salt Lake City, and Seattle.

These cities join previously announced service initiatives in Austin, Texas., Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Texas., San Antonio, and Washington D.C.,

Sprint also announced additional handset and PC card manufacturers to develop products for its mobile WiMAX network. Samsung will develop PC cards available in both single WiMAX mode and dual CDMA 1xEV DO/WiMAX mode for WiMAX service launch use.

ZTE Corporation of China will supply multiple WiMAX 802.16e devices including PC cards in express and USB form factors as well as advanced modem products. And Zyxel will also make modems for the Sprint WiMAX network.

ZTE and Zyxel joint existing suppliers Samsung, Motorola and Nokia for Sprint’s mobile WiMAX buildout. Sprint has said it plans to soft launch service in Chicago and Washington, D.C., this year, Baltimore next year, and then to 100 million people nationwide by the end of 2008.

Investment firm Dresdner Kleinwort, however, recently issued a research bulletin in which it stated that Sprint will incur cost overruns and delays in its mobile WiMAX buildout, which will postpone mass market rollout until the 2009-10 timeframe.

In an effort to keep on schedule, Sprint also said this week it is forming a so-called WiMAX Device and Chipset Ecosystem program in order to accelerate the pace of device development and broaden the range of WiMAX-enabled access devices. The program is designed to facilitate dialogue between chipset and device makers, and guide manufacturers on required specifications, features, functionality and product design, Sprint said.

Sprint plans to demonstrate mobile WiMAX technology at the show here this week.

In other news, Sprint disclosed a brand name for its alliance with cable multisystem operators looking to offer Sprint wireless service in a bundle of cable TV, Internet access and VoIP services.

Called “Pivot,” the program is designed to allow subscribers to watch live and mobile TV, access home TV listings through a programming guide, check home e-mail and voicemail, access the Internet, and make unlimited wireless and wireline calls through one point of contact for service and billing.

TV services are provided by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse Communications.

Pivot is available now in Austin, Boston, Cincinnati, Dayton, Ohio, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, N.C., and San Diego. It will be in 40 markets later this year.