SPRINT CALLS OUTLOOK BRIGHT FOR ITS WIMAX IN BALTIMORE, NATIONALLY

摘要

Sprint Nextel expects strong growth of its Xohm WiMAX service and is hopeful of financing for the rest of the network despite the credit crisis, company officials said. The service started last week in Baltimore, in the thick of the market turmoil, but the early consumer response was stronger than expected, said Barry West, the president of Xohm. The installation of the first 180 WiMAX base stations around Baltimore is complete and Sprint is well along on the other 120 planned in the city, he said. As WiMAX chipsets become embedded in more laptops and wireless devices, more people will subscribe to Xohm's service, West predicted. nnSprint is confident that its proposed WiMAX venture with Clearwire will be funded as planned with $3.2 billion promised by partners including Comcast, Intel and Google, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said. The carrier is also hopeful that the venture will get FCC approval this year, he said. Another $2 billion will be raised in the future for a full national rollout, he said, adding that the money is assured. Sprint saw "some impact" of the credit crisis on its wireless business, but the effect wasn't "dramatic," Hesse said. Wireline providers will feel more pressure as consumers cut their landlines, but wireless businesses are mostly insulated, he said.