Sprint Corp. entered into an agreement with Motorola Inc. to conduct joint wireless broadband technology testing and equipment trials using Motorola 802.16e pre-WiMAX technology in Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings.
The two companies said the collaboration will spur the development of WiMAX technology, validate vendor solutions and help formulate network architecture strategies. The collaboration will include lab testing of base station equipment, smart antenna technology, and multimedia handsets and field trials in certain locations beginning this year and extending into 2006.
“Sprint is fostering a number of strategic partnerships and investigating multiple technologies in support of future wireless interactive multimedia services,” said Oliver Valente, Sprint chief technology officer and vice president of technology development. “WiMAX is one of the technologies Sprint is investigating for services which would be considered for deployment in the 2.5 GHz band of spectrum.”
Sprint previously signed a related agreement with Intel Corp. to develop WiMAX chipsets, devices, equipment and infrastructure. Sprint also joined the WiMAX forum earlier this year.
Nextel Communications Inc, which is in the process of being acquired by Sprint, earlier this week announced plans to launch a network trial using IPWireless Inc.’s UMTS TD-CDMA technology in the Washington, D.C., area using Nextel’s 2.5 GHz spectrum. Nextel completed a similar wireless broadband trial using Flarion Technologies Inc.’s Flash-OFDM technology in parts of North Carolina using leased 1.9 GHz spectrum.
Sprint and Nextel have both said they are looking at using the 2.5 GHz spectrum band to launch “wireless interactive multimedia services.”
Following its acquisition of Nextel, Sprint will control 2.5 GHz spectrum licenses covering 80 percent of the country’s population. Sprint has said it plans to deploy advanced CDMA-based services in its 1.9 GHz spectrum bands, which will be bolstered by Nextel’s recently approved spectrum reallocation plan that calls for the carrier to exchange some of its 800 MHz spectrum holdings and $4.8 billion in retuning costs for 10 megahertz of spectrum in the 1.9 GHz band.
