Sprint now eyeing LTE for 4G network?
updated 08:00 pm EDT, Thu May 20, 2010
LTE and WiMax said to be "not mutually exclusive"
Despite Sprint's initial insistence on pushing WiMax as its 4G technology of choice, the company appears to be open to other industry alternatives such as LTE. A current request for proposal (RFP) reportedly leaves room for LTE as a potential option for the "next generation network" technology, according to Light Reading.
"We're doing a technology evaluation and making a decision on our core network and how we want to evolve that going forward," said Sprint's senior VP of product technology development, Kevin Packingham. "There's nothing to prevent us from ... moving to LTE."
The proposal does not necessarily indicate that the company is moving away from WiMax in the near future. Packingham suggests that Sprint does not view WiMax and LTE as "mutually exclusive." The technology is being considered for the current CDMA networks the company operates at the 800MHz and 1900MHz bands.
The Sprint executive suggests the final decision will be made after the company has more time to assess customer reactions to the Evo 4G smartphone after it hits the market on June 4. A move toward LTE would follow the same 4G transition that Verizon and other companies have decided embrace.
