Sprint Gets Lined up Behind WiMAX

Sprint is the latest telecommunications player to lay the groundwork for testing WiMAX , the yet-unproven wireless standard for high speed metropolitan networks.

The Overland Park, Kan., telecom carrier is launching lab and
field tests with Motorola on base stations, antennas and
multimedia handsets in order to put the 802.11e standard, and its very high bit rates, through its paces. The company said trials would stretch into 2006.

It’s still unclear exactly how WiMAX will fit into Sprint’s plans, but
officials have said it could complement other wireless technologies, such
as third-generation voice and data, Wi-Fi and
Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO).

Dan Coombes, senior vice president of wireless broadband networks and CTO of
Motorola Networks, said the Sprint agreement is the company’s first
announced trial of WiMAX 802.16e equipment.

“We’ve been researching and testing OFDM , the underlying technology for WiMAX, for some time and announced key test results last summer,” he said.

WiMAX supports very high bit rates in uploading and downloading from a base
station up to a distance of 30 miles. Advocates say it could bring super
high-speed Internet access, VoIP and other services to rural
areas, office parks and school campuses at a cheaper price than traditional
methods.

In addition, WiMAX systems could be used as a piece of a service provider’s
infrastructure, backhauling traffic from carriers’ main networks to
alleviate congestion and trim costs.

Some independent providers are already using networks that contain several
WiMAX specifications. Fixed-wireless broadband provider TowerStream, for
example, announced yesterday that it has expanded its service to Brooklyn
and Queens.

Besides Sprint, Motorola and Intel, a number of carriers and equipment
makers are testing WiMAX equipment, including AT&T , Nortel
and LG Electronics.

But some industry heavy hitters are still unconvinced, saying that WiMAX
lacks a compelling application and risks being overshadowed by alternate
wireless broadband technologies.

Still, Sprint is pressing on, as are other industry players. Earlier this year, Sprint joined the WiMAX Forum in order to help hammer out interoperability standards. It has also partnered with Intel in order to test 802.16e equipment and interoperability.

“More [partnerships] are due in the coming weeks,” John Polikva, a Sprint spokesman, told internetnews.com. “We are building an ecosystem of
technology partners that are crucial to wireless broadband opportunity
development.”