LAS VEGAS – Sprint Nextel may have had to alter the amount it will have to pay in order to acquire the remaining stake in Clearwire, but the carrier appears confident that at least some sort of network arrangement between the two companies in inevitable.
That confidence was shown by Sprint Nextel announcing plans to launch mobile devices embedded with support for the carrier’s LTE service running across its current 1.9 GHz deployment, planned 800 MHz expansion and Clearwire’s plans to deploy LTE in the 2.5 GHz band.
Sprint Nextel said the first tri-band LTE devices would include the Novatel Wireless MiFi 500 LTE mobile hotspot; the NetGear Zing Mobile Hotspot; and the NetGear 341U USB modem. The Zing device is also “international” capable via embedded GSM capabilities. Sprint Nextel noted that pricing and exact availability dates for the three devices will be provided at a later date.
Sprint Nextel is currently rolling out LTE services across its 1.9 GHz band, with plans to begin adding support from its 800 MHz spectrum holdings that will be freed up following the turn down of its iDEN services running across that spectrum scheduled for the end of June. The 800 MHz band is expected to provide broader coverage and in-building penetration compared with the workhorse 1.9 GHz spectrum. The addition of Clearwire’s TDD-LTE service running in the 2.5 GHz band has been hinted at as part of Sprint Nextel’s $5 billion Network Vision initiative and should provide increased capacity in dense, urban locations.
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