IP Democracy: Yeah, WiMax is DOA in the USA

WiMax, once a promising technology heavily promoted by Intel as the next big thing, is DOA in the USA. Sprint Nextel, the biggest U.S. telecom proponent of the broadband wireless technology, is quickly unraveling its commitment to WiMax in the wake of former CEO and big WiMax booster Gary Foresee's ouster.

Last month the company undid a partnership it had with Clearwire to roll out WiMax technology across the U.S. And yesterday, acting CEO Paul Saleh told attendees at UBS' Global Media and Communications Conference (webcast here) it may spin off its WiMax service altogether, finding investors to help foot the $5 billion cost of constructing the new networks.

Are we just a hop, skip and jump away from Sprint ultimately deciding to scrap WiMax altogether? Is the company conditioning Wall Street and the press for an ultimate abandonment of WiMax? I think so. The company says it will announce its WiMax plans early next year.

WiMax isn't dead on a global scale, however. Cisco and Motorola are pursuing the technology for nations that don't already have built-in 3G or 4G mobile infrastructure. In the U.S., however, carriers are opting for other broadband wireless technologies such as long term evolution, or LTE, the choice of Verizon Wireless.

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on December 4, 2007 10:28 AM to IP Democracy