Sprint WiMAX service pushed back to summer

Sprint's Xohm WiMAX service has been delayed from its original spring release date, the company said at the CTIA mobile expo. Originally penned in for April, the release is now slated to occur later in the year and is currently expected by other sources to appear in the summer. The company hasn't provided an official explanation but says the issue isn't technological, instead claiming that the delay is in place to ensure a smooth rollout.

"We want to make sure the launch meets our expectation[s]," says Sprint's James Fisher.

The delay exacerbates existing delays for Xohm, which had already suffered months-long delays as Sprint prepared its initial soft launch for three major cities. Sprint has been criticized for building out the 4G-level network at a time while the company continues to lose business and has reportedly turned to cable providers and others to help fund its rollout.

However, the delay means a simultaneous launch of WiMAX-capable devices for the network, including Nokia's N810 WiMAX Edition tablet. Notebooks are also expected to get the option of WiMAX as a readily available add-on for computers based on Intel's Centrino 2 mobile platform.

Filed under: industry
Other story tags: Intel, Nokia, sprint, WiMAX, Xohm, Centrino