Sprint Nextel launches mobile WiMAX in Baltimore: Xohm service backed by pair of devices, several pricing options

Following years of hype, mobile WiMAX from a major provider is now available commercially in the United States. Sprint Nextel Corp. announced that its Xohm service is live in the Baltimore area, and the carrier plans to expand to additional markets later this year.
The initial launch is backed by a pair of wireless devices: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Express card for laptop computers at $60 and a Zyxel desktop modem for $80. Sprint Nextel said both devices will provide download speeds of between 2 and 4 megabits per second, which is roughly twice the speed provided by current cellular-based data services.
The carrier also released a number of pricing options for the service. Customers can sign up for 24 hours of access for $10, purchase a $25 monthly home Internet plan, or an “on-the-go” monthly service for $30. Sprint Nextel also announced a $50 “Pick 2 for Life” monthly plan that covers two different WiMAX devices. The plans do not require a contract and are similar to pricing models used for commercial Wi-Fi services.
Sprint Nextel’s Xohm Web site notes that service will soon expand to Washington, D.C., and Chicago, with Dallas-Ft. Worth; Boston; Providence, R.I.; and Philadelphia “in the works.” Sprint Nextel had planned to cover 100 million potential customers by the end of this year, but those plans have been pushed back following the carrier’s on-again, off-again, on-again relationship with Clearwire as well as Sprint Nextel’s own financial and operational challenges.
The Xohm launch comes just ahead of an expected closing of a partnership between Sprint Nextel, Clearwire Corp. and a handful of investors that will see the formation of a new Clearwire staked with launching mobile WiMAX services in markets across the country.