I’ve been following the Sprint XOHM WiMax service for some time now. If you haven’t been paying attention I’ll give you a quick update; WiMax is a 4G data service that promises speeds several times faster than current 3G data services.

The XOHM rollout will begin in Baltimore, followed by Chicago. Engadget Mobile has the scoop on most of the information about the service, right from the XOHM site.

I can’t wait to get my hands on XOHM, fingers crossed they don’t run into any more delays.

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WiMax has long been seen as a potential competitor to cellular-based data networks, allowing a combination of high speeds and reasonable range.  Plus roaming between access points is supposed to be way easier to manage than normal WiFi connections.  Of course, it also requires a whole new infrastructure to be built out and it isn’t backwards compatible with other technologies such as WiFi, so it is a bit of a hard sell to drive adoption.  Still, companies are developing solutions.  Sprint has been working on their XOHM network for a while now, with a launch expected any day now or in several months, depending on who is giving statements to the press on any given day.

Things like this seem to take off more quickly in Europe, with more densely populated cities and a populace generally more willing to adopt the new technologies.  And so it is that Amsterdam was the target of a WiMax network launch this week.  With access priced at 20 Euro per month and unlimited download capacity the offering is priced lower than most other broadband options, so they’ve got a chance to take over a decent market share.  At the same time, however, the company’s management acknowledges that unless they are able to expand their coverage area and their subscriber base pretty significantly that they won’t be able to stick around too long.

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Now I’m really confused… Last week Sprint announced their plans to merge with Clearwire and dump the XOHM name they had planned to use for their own WiMax network.

And today they announce that the technical tests of their network equipment have been a success and that they’ll start with the commercial introduction of their XOHM network later this year.

(as a refresher; WiMax is a "4G technology" that promises very fast download speeds on a nationwide wireless broadband network).

Sprint and Samsung Electronics Corporation Ltd. announced today that a new broadband wireless network offering the speed and mobility of WiMAX has met Sprint’s rigorous commercial acceptance criteria including overall performance, handoff performance and handoff delay. This key technical milestone has been passed after extensive evaluation both in the XOHM^TM lab environment and with the commercial service network being built in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. Sprint plans on launching commercial WiMAX service in those cities later this year.

<SNIP>

Last month, Samsung announced the introduction of several WiMAX-enabled devices. The Express Card (E100 PC Card) and WiMAX embedded UMPC (Q1 Ultra Premium Mobile PC) underscore Samsung’s position as the leading provider of end-to-end mobile WiMAX network systems. With the technology proven to be ready, the Samsung mobile WiMAX systems being deployed for Sprint in Baltimore and Washington D.C. support the commercial introduction of XOHM service anticipated to begin later this year.

Perhaps someone at Sprint didn’t get the memo?

Source: PRNewswire (Sprint/Samsung Joint press release)

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It’s just a neverending week of Sprint news… The news today is that Sprints WiMax network (XOHM) is going to merge with the only other operator with nationwide WiMax intentions (Clearwire). The whole deal will have the financial support and blessing of Comcast, Time Warner and Google…

Apparently the yet to be named/announced consortium has already gathered over $3 Billion in cash which will come in handy when they start actually building this network…

For those that are scratching their heads: WiMax is a so called "4G network". It promises really fast downloads and will be built next to the existing "3G" networks already in place.

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LAS VEGAS -(Dow Jones)- Sprint Nextel will delay the commercial launch of its Xohm WiMax service until later in the year, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The Overland Park, Kan., carrier was originally scheduled to launch the service this month. But it will come later this year, said spokesman James Fisher. It’s the latest in a series of setbacks for the troubled company.

Chatter at the CTIA Wireless trade show here suggests it will occur in the summer.

"The delay of Xohm’s commercial launch is a major blow for Sprint, and the storm clouds are only getting darker over the entire WiMax sector," said Clint Wheelock, chief research officer for ABI Research.

Sprint had already disappointed many by failing to provide more details on WiMax during the show. Expectations were high for Chief Executive Dan Hesse to make a big splash, but only managed a new phone.

 

Well, that just plain SUCKS.

Source: Cellular News (via Engadget)

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You just know a service is really going to become reality when big companies like Nokia and Everex start making hardware to take advantage of it.

At the CTIA tradeshow in Las Veags Nokia officially announced the N810 WiMAX Internet Tablet, and Everex announced a "MAX" version of their $399 Cloudbook. 

All we need now is actual WiMAX and a new era of surfing for Rickrolled Youtube clips can begin!

Sprint still claims XOHM is on track for release in the first half of the year.

If you missed what WiMAX is all about; check out the number 8 spot in my "2008 hot list" of upcoming technologies. But to make a long story short: it’s the Internet. Wireless. Fast. Gizmodo took XOHM for a testdrive, and was impressed. I want it now.

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