Sprint, Clearwire negotiating network-sharing contract beyond 2012

By on Oct 26, 2011 at 3:35 PM
mobile October 26, 2011

Sprint and Clearwire are negotiating a network-sharing contract that will last beyond 2012, Bloomberg recently reported, noting a 29% surge in Clearwire’s stock price earlier Wednesday. CEO Dan Hesse explained on a conference call that Sprint could take advantage of Clearwire’s network in an effort to balance traffic on its planned 4G LTE network. While Sprint is “making very good progress on the technical front with Clearwire,” a deal is not yet final or definite. Sprint announced earlier this month that it plans to accelerate its 4G LTE roll-out and will launch its first markets by the middle of next year. The project is expected to be fully completed in 2013. Sprint’s move to LTE had originally suggested that its WiMAX relationship with Clearwire was coming to an end, but it appears that is no longer the case. Like Sprint, Clearwire has also said it will deploy a 4G LTE network if it can find the money. Most recently the carrier was courting AT&T and Verizon in an effort to bring in enough cash for the roll-out, which it expects to cost $600 million.

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  • ted

    i.e. we are not broke…..we just need some more money pleazzze!

  • Anonymous

    Man…. I see what’s going to happen… Sprint fanboys (are there carrier fanboys?) keep hemm and hawwing about the price. I don’t think Sprint will last… Whole thing is just a damn mess… I love Sprint… I got em now… But my contract is up next week… And I can’t resign with them because Ive lost faith in the company surviving.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_T3NRV5OOEQS5Y52QG6WG6SMTEU ML

      Not a carrier fanboy, as I think that Verizon clearly has the best network right now, but I think that Sprint’s just getting started.  They’ll add LTE next year, then add LTE Advanced at the 800mhz band (the frequency that will penetrate walls in-building) and finally add Clearwire LTE, which will have the best speeds because they have the biggest swath of spectrum around.  In 2013, Sprint will vie for the best network if they can get their act together.  However, it’s a long time between now and 2013 (at least in technology terms), so Verizon’s definitely the best right now.

      • Anonymous

        That all sounds good… But Sprint loses customers every quarter… every quarter. I understand the iPhone will make a difference in that case but it’s almost like they are starting over… Sooner or later Unlimited Data will be Gone too (My guess is when they Launch their LTE network)…. They will NEVER catch Verizon. Verizon almost has the entire country blanketed. Soon they will have Voice over LTE… And I believe they will be the first network to go All LTE. At&t is also just starting up but still has a head start on Sprint… I think the whole WImaxx thing Killed them.

      • INorm

        Sprint is doing it’s network vision project, every tower site is going to be worked on over the next couple of years.  Every site will have the equipment consolidated to a much smaller foot print, and the radios will be mounted up at the antenna, instead of pumping the signal through a few hundred feet of hardline, reducing a ton of loss on the higher frequencies.  
        Anyway, after it’s all said and done, every site will have LTE, and the operating costs to sprint will be much smaller.   If the Lightsquared deal goes through, that will also be another infusion of cash.

    • mangenius

      stupid post. 

    • Guest

      I have sprint too. Id hate to see them go. Don’t want to be on tthose other money grubbing networks. Coverage is never an issue for me so why would i

  • Guest

    Serious question here…what happens to WIMAX users when they roll out LTE? How long will they keep WOMAX alive? I do pay an extra 10 each month for it afterall

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_T3NRV5OOEQS5Y52QG6WG6SMTEU ML

      The WIMAX network is not going away.  Sprint is going to continue selling WIMAX devices in 2012.  They’ll eventually extend their agreement with Clearwire, but it’s a matter of agreeing on pricing between Sprint and Clearwire.  The WIMAX network is going to be around for some time to come since it’s already been built and paid for (sunk cost) and Clearwire has tons of spectrum they can use to add LTE to their network.

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