Sprint and Clearwire today announced they would halt their shared WiMAX plans, putting an end to their plans for a nationwide 4G network. The companies cited a mutual inability to resolve "complexities" in the agreement but explained that they would continue to explore deals for development, roaming, and similar plans. Sprint's immediate WiMAX plans are not affected by the deal and will still see the first commercial launch of the wide-area Internet service next year, according to the company.

The issue may still affect long-term plans, the company said. Although it declined to elaborate on the matter, Sprint noted that it was "reviewing" its WiMAX business plans and anticipated commenting on the future of the service sometime in early 2008. The telecom provider's commitment to WiMAX has been cast into doubt in the public eye since the forced departure of chief executive Gary Forsee earlier this year; the company has toyed with the prospect of spinning off WiMAX as a separate entity to focus on its core phone business.