Sprint Nextel and Clearwire will market mobile WiMAX services under a common service brand, and Clearwire will offer mobile WiMAX services in Clearwire’s territories through Sprint Nextel’s retail stores, and through its own distribution channels. Both companies will provide seamless reciprocal roaming service to each others’ WiMAX customers, and Sprint Nextel plans to provide dual-mode (CDMA-WiMAX) services nationwide to its customers over both its own and Clearwire’s portion of the WiMAX networks.

Sprint Nextel will take the lead in establishing relationships with national distributors and other potential strategic partners, including wholesale or mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) arrangements. Clearwire will have the ability to offer Sprint Nextel’s third generation voice and data services as part of a bundle or on a stand-alone basis to Clearwire’s customers, which will also allow Clearwire to provide dual-mode services to its customers. The initial term of the arrangement is 20 years, with three 10-year renewal periods.

As previously announced, Sprint Nextel expects to commence the initial stage of its mobile WiMAX network deployments by year-end 2007 and both companies expect to launch commercial service in the first half of 2008. The companies individually are working with a broad range of manufacturers including Intel, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia and others to create an ecosystem of chips, products and software designed to provide mobile WiMAX access.

Mobile WiMAX is a wireless broadband technology that is designed to operate more than five times faster than today’s third-generation wireless networks at lower cost. Mobile WiMAX technology is expected to allow users to wirelessly download full-length movies and songs, conduct live video-conferences from remote locations, and perform other interactive multi-media applications anywhere in the coverage area, mobilizing the full power of the open Internet. The technology is expected to be deployed ubiquitously with embedded chipsets in computing, consumer electronic devices and other innovative access devices being developed by a global ecosystem.