![]() Verizon Wireless eventually launched its LTE service in late 2010, providing at least a 4G marketing rival to Sprint’s 4G efforts, and more importantly quickly matched and surpassed Sprint’s 4G network coverage. Never one to back down from a network fight, Verizon Wireless in 2007 said it would use LTE as its next-generation strategy, and took Sprint’s lead by also throwing the 4G tag into the mix. Sprint continued pumping billions of dollars into its WiMAX project, while across the technology aisle LTE was gaining momentum. It should also be noted that soon-to-be-acquired Clearwire was at the same time working its own WiMAX angle, tapping into basically the remaining 2.5 GHz spectrum licenses not controlled by Sprint. Of course, WiMAX was nowhere near offering performance promised by true 4G standards, but when you are first on the field, you get to make up the marketing rules. Showing that it was indeed king of the world, Sprint figured it’s WiMAX network was so much better than those lame 3G networks running around it dumped the Xohm brand and thrust the term “4G” into the cellular marketing world. The early demos promised mobile broadband speeds up to 10 megabits per second showed various products embedded with WiMAX radios and more importantly claimed the service would provide up to $2.5 billion in revenues by 2010, generate free cash flow by 2011, and would cost the carrier $5 billion in capital expense to cover approximately 125 million potential customers. Sprint’s early hype for its WiMAX network began back in 2007, with the company trotting out the Xohm brand under former CEO Gary Forsee. Imagine what Sprint could have been if the timing was just a bit different. Now, looking back at those selections, one notable acronym missing is LTE, as what has become the mobile broadband standard was not really an option when Sprint and Nextel were looking for a technology that could see worldwide acceptance. Nextel prior to being acquired had been testing various IP-based mobile broadband technologies, including various proprietary ones like Flash-OFDM and TDD-UMTS, as well as WiMAX and HSDPA. Most would link Sprint’s WiMAX decision back to its acquisition of Nextel Communications, which wrapped in 2005, and brought with it a significant load of 2.5 GHz spectrum licenses with specific build out dates. Not to get too teary eyed over the whole process, but I think it’s probably worth a moment or two to ponder the impact the Sprint WiMAX network had on the telecom landscape. The process had been in the works for years, with the last few months taken up by legal obligations to maintain the network in order to provide time for a few partners to transition a few remaining customers, but March 31 marked the official end of Sprint’s WiMAX efforts. We all knew it was bound to happen, some probably even before it ever began, but this week finally witnessed Sprint shutter its seminal WiMAX network. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. WOTW takes a look back at the Sprint WiMAX network, which this week gasped its last breath, but at least here will not be soon forgotten
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