Sprint Nextel and Clearwire have filed a petition with the FCC, promising to deliver wireless Internet access across the country at speeds that will rival cable and landline providers, if the commission approves their planned merger.
Filed Friday, the petition also promises that the two would roll out a mobile WiMAX network that is expected to reach up to 140 million people within 30 months if the merger is approved, including providing high-speed access capable of 2-way video conferencing to police, firefighters and schools.
Sprint and Clearwire wrote in the proposal that their merger could make “the promise of an alternative broadband platform, or ‘third pipe,’ a near-term reality.”
Last month, Sprint and Clearwire announced a planned joint WiMAX venture that would be funded partly by Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. The deal is expected to close in Q4, but still needs approval from the FCC and the Justice Department.
In their petition Sprint and Clearwire touted their open network approach saying that the new network would offer customers a wide variety of rate plans and would not require customers purchase equipment from the company itself. The companies also said that they would be unable to build the nationwide WiMAX network without working together: “Neither Clearwire nor Sprint currently has market power in the provision of broadband services.”
In more Sprint news, the carrier announced the appointment of William (Bill) Nuti to the company’s Board of Directors. Nuti is the chairman, CEO and president of NCR Corporation, a global technology company based in Dayton, Ohio.
Nuti joined NCR in 2005. Since his arrival, NCR’s stock has appreciated more than 50%. Before that, he served as president and CEO of Symbol Technologies, where he strengthened the company’s product portfolio and positioned it as a leading supplier in the emerging radio frequency identification (RFID) industry. While at Symbol, Nuti led a challenging, but highly successful turnaround effort, which returned the company to profitability for the first time in five years.
