Sprint joins with Clearwire, Google, Comcast, Intel and others to create new $14.5 billion WiMax company

- Traditional operators continue to try and find ways to maximize their revenues by getting into information services and applications, and competing with the likes of Google. Google is responding by trying to break-open from their walled-gardens. WiMax is an attempt to break free. Municipal WiFi, FCC open access, and White-band spectrum are other attempts. - Google is investing heavily in the back-haul...

In the short-term, Sprint has salvaged their WiMax opportunity, but a quick look back shows you how much they have really lost.  On the other hand, sly Google had another ace up its sleeve, and their wireless strategy is becoming clearer by the day.

The formation of this consortium to carry Sprint’s Xohm forward answers a short term financing question, but does not fundamentally alter the formidable market and competitive challenges which Xohm will face in order to succeed commercially. Google is the only sure beneficiary whatever the outcome for Xohm.    

Well it is about time.  A joint venture between Sprint, Clearwire, Comcast, Time Warner, Google, and Intel is a blessing in disguise for WiMAX. Sprint still has the Nextel problem to deal with.  Maybe Hesse can spinoff Nextel as separate publicly held entity and have Morgan O'Brien invest in the spinoff.