Sprint's WiMAX still on track for September

Sprint's Xohm WiMAX is still on schedule to switch on in September, the company tells Gearlog. While less than two weeks remain in the month, the carrier says its already-delayed 4G Internet service is still on track despite the absence of announcements or other signs the network is ready to go live. Sprint previously said in June that it would first deploy Xohm in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, DC this month with expansion to other cities shortly afterwards.

Unofficial reports have suggested that Sprint is at least in the late preparation stages for the official debut of the network, which it estimates should peak at 10Mpbs downstream and reach between 2Mbps and 4Mbps in real-world conditions. A website slip has revealed a router, two modems, and Nokia's N810 WiMAX Edition as part of the lineup and confirmed some of Sprint's plans, which will allow contract-free use of Xohm as well as by-the-day use for travelers.

The service is faster than the 3G networks offered by Sprint and other cellular carriers but should eventually be outperformed by 100Mbps Long Term Evolution, the 4G standard being adopted by AT&T and Verizon in 2010.

Filed under: industry, networking
Other story tags: AT&T, Nokia, Verizon, sprint, WiMAX, Xohm