While many pundits predict LTE will win the battle between it and WiMAX, the decided advantage seems to rest with WiMAX currently, given a number of live deployments worldwide, including Baltimore, Maryland, which is being served by both Clearwire and Sprint (though Sprint currently owns 51 percent of Clearwire).

 

Sprint, acting as a 4G MVNO (there is at least some life left in the MVNO market), provides is service over Clearwire’s 4G network, so it’s no surprise to learn that its next planned rollouts follow the course already plotted by Clearwire earlier this month. According to Spring, it plans to introduce its 4G service this year in: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland, and Seattle.

 

“The availability of Sprint 4G in more places this year and our aggressive expansion of Sprint 4G service demonstrates our commitment to provide 4G capabilities and devices nationwide for our business, consumer and government customers,” noted Todd Rowley, vice president of Sprint 4G.

 

The benefit of 4G, of course, is its speed, over today’s 3G networks, said to reach as high as five times the speed offered by any 3G service today. Of course, the new service requires new access devices as well, which Sprint also has in the works, including a single-mode 4G data card, embedded laptops, a SOHO broadband modem, and a tri-mode phone. 

 

Despite its increased speed and range, rollouts in major metro areas still leave subscribers in the dark outside those areas, a particular concern for commuters, who largely travel to work from rural areas, which is where the tri-mode phone comes into play, as well as the 3G/4G USB modem (the U300, pictured) Spring has already delivered in December, shortly after its 4G rollout in Baltimore.

 

Clearwire has said it expects there will be about 100 WiMAX devices available by the end of the year, including laptops, modems, and handheld devices. Whether the economy will support the WiMAX initiative remains to be seen — the pricing plans don’t seem exorbitant but, as with any new service, uptake could be slow. The availability of dual- and tri-mode devices, though are imperative to its growth.

 

The question is, until WiMAX-based service is more widely available, particularly in areas surrounding the major cities currently planned, will businesses or consumers see the benefit of 4G over 3G, when the service is available only within a limited radius? Assuming wireline broadband is available in homes and businesses in these cities, and in most homes, the benefit of mobile WiMAX is largely mitigated if devices have to switch to 3G networks upon leaving the city limits. 

 

There will undoubtedly be some benefit to users, but until services are more widely available, adoption will likely not be as strong as Sprint (and Clearwire) hopes. Ultimately, despite the promise of speed, leading to increased productivity and convenience, Sprint, Clearwire, and the WiMAX industry as a whole, is still a long way from being a viable alternative — and the economy and countless enticing 3G devices offered by other wireless carriers are working against them.

 

That said, there is something to be said for being first, and live deployments in 10 major cities, as opposed to the developmental stage LTE is in, is nothing to scoff at. But, as new markets are lit with WiMAX service, it’s up to Sprint to extend the service quickly to surrounding areas in order to drive adoption. The company holds to its promise to deliver “a faster Internet experience in cities across the nation than any other wireless service from a national carrier,” but its success depends on how quickly it can grow those service radii — and ultimately connect service hubs.