Sprint: How Soon Is '4G Now'?

Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) is promising to launch three more of what it calls “4G” markets this summer, piggybacking on the mobile WiMax infrastructure from Clearwire LLC (Nasdaq: CLWR) that the carrier uses to provide the mobile broadband service. A spokeswoman for Sprint emails Unstrung that “4G will be available in Portland, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and other markets this summer.” This follows Clearwire’s recent “soft” launch of its Clear service in Atlanta and Las Vegas. (See Clearwire Goes Soft in Vegas and Clear Is in Atlanta.) It’s not 4G? Like Clearwire and rival Verizon Wireless , Sprint is referring to its mobile broadband service as “4G.” Strictly speaking, however, neither mobile WiMax nor Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology meets the download requirements to actually qualify as a fourth-generation wireless network.

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