WiMax no longer Sprint’s 4G tech of choice? LTE jumps out the window as WiMax busts through the bedroom door…
As we’ve watched the 4G train travel along (albeit slowly), Sprint has made it pretty clear whom they think will be *the* next generation in wireless technologies. That is of course none other than WiMax itself. In the few markets it’s currently available in, test have proven that it is indeed fast. But there’s the nagging bit that it’s still only available in a few cities despite nearly a solid year of being available. Rolling out such speedy services does cost money. I’ll give you that. But another more eyebrow raising reason could signal why they’re been a little stagnant.
Even more eye raising however is an RPF with the word “LTE” and “Sprint” pairing together. Intrigued? Read on…
A current Request for Proposal (RFP) has some white space dedicated to other next generation networks. In that whitespace happens to be a small blurb about LTE. Gasps! Will Sprint jump ship and cheat on it’s current WiMax lover? Such a switch would one of the more monumental events in the tech world. According to Sprint’s own senior VP of product technology development, Kevin Packingham:
There’s nothing to prevent us from … moving to LTE. We’re doing a technology evaluation and making a decision on our core network and how we want to evolve that going forward.
The proposal in question doesn’t come right out and say Sprint is dropping WiMax in favor of LTE. But the option alone and Kevin Packingham’s comment makes it seem like Sprint is at least half serious.
No decision will be made in the near term however, as Sprint is citing that more time is needed to assess customer reactions to the Evo 4G and it’s WiMax goodness. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the pants to WiMax early adopters — Sprint moving to LTE. Ouch. Anyone feel like chattering?
Author: Mike Norris
visit my websiteGadget lover, smartphone collector, and beer connoisseur. I've been writing about gadgets for three years now and loving every minute of it. Outside of the digital landscape, I enjoy being active outdoors. I'm always up for a good conversation, so feel free to drop me a line!
