T-Mobile is a bit behind the 4G game having only recently rolled out its temporary fix – HSPA+. While carriers like Sprint are already on board with WiMax and Verizon and AT&T have both talked of their LTE plans, T-Mobile didn’t really have much of a game plan. Or at least a game plan that was evident to everyone else. Now the fourth largest carrier in the U.S. is in talks with Clearwire with the possibility that it will use the latter’s WiMax network.
Clearwire, who owns and operates a WiMax network of its own, is hoping that T-Mobile will make an equity investment in it. In doing so, Clearwire would rent access to its WiMax network to T-Mobile. Otherwise, if the equity investment doesn’t go through and T-Mobile decides not to fund Clearwire, Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow said, “In the event we don’t come to an equity arrangement, they could be a wholesale customer.”
It would be interesting to see how this plays out, and whether T-Mobile would be using WiMax in the future. After all, in areas where its HSPA+ coverage is strong, T-Mobile’s speedy 3G network is just as fast as what WiMax is currently offering.
[Via: PhoneScoop]
