Sprint had been last carrier to not support the standard

Assuming all goes according to plan with the FCC, Sprint will soon have an LTE network up and running. The big question is whether Sprint has once again taken too much on its plate, as the carrier is just now recovering from the multiple problems it encountered while trying to run both its EV-DO Rev. A network and the iDEN network it inherited when it bought Nextel in 2005. Gartner analyst Philip Redman told Network World recently that Sprint essentially has no option but to use both wireless standards as it switches gradually from WiMax to LTE, as it can’t simply abandon its WiMax subscribers. Redman noted that Sprint’s dilemma showed the dangers of any wireless company trying to buck industry trends to get a time-to-market advantage.

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“For a tier-one provider trying to compete against other tier-one providers, going your own way is expensive in an industry where standardization is important,” he said. “There’s no doubt they’re going to start diminishing their investment in WiMax … it’s a big challenge but the alternative is even worse so it’s something they really have to do.”