James Delahunty
1 Nov 2010 1:35
Dan Hesse. Chief Executive Officer Sprint Nextel Corporation, has cleared up the providers plans for its 4G services over the coming years.
Hesse said that Sprint's 4G network would use WiMAX "full stop," and that the company only played around with WiMAX' competitor, Long Term Evolution (LTE), for testing purposes in case Spring needed to support multi-mode phones that use both formats in the future.
Sprint made the decision to go with WiMAX for its 4G offerings instead of the widely-adopted LTE technology because it would allow the company to establish a 4G network much quicker than the competition. Verizon won't switch on its 4G network until the end of this year, while 2011 is the target for both AT&T and T-Mobile.
"When we had the opportunity to move into 4G, WiMAX was the only 4G interface, and it was perfect with the spectrum we owned," Hesse said. "We moved to establish the network because we didn’t want to wait, and we believe that being first to the market is an advantage."
Additionally, Hesse dismissed reports that Clearwire (which Sprint has a 54 percent stake in) would be working with T-Mobile after Sprint executives left the Clearwire board.