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Sprint WiMAXes Google

Sprint is working with Google to bring Mobile WiMAX customers search, interactive communications and social networking tools though a new mobile portal, the company announced today. The collaboration between Sprint and Google will help spur new mobility and location-assisted services.

Sprint says their pact with Google is a milestone and builds upon current WiMAX ecosystem infrastructure, enabling user-generated content and multimedia offerings.

Sprint network bandwidth, location detection and presence capabilities will be matched with Google’s popular communications suite – Google Apps – that combines the Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Talk services. Customers will be able to experience a new form of interactive communications, high speed Internet browsing, local and location-centric services, and multimedia services including music, video, TV and on-demand products.

Barry West, who heads up the WiMax project for Sprint, told the Wall Street Journal Sprint doesn’t intend to block any services on its network, including Web calling applications like Skype. “We intend to operate an open Internet business model,” he said. Mr. West did say, however, that companies offering especially bandwidth-hungry video and voice services would likely have to pay Sprint a premium to guarantee a high-quality experience for consumers.

“Google and Sprint will optimize the Internet experience for the digital lifestyle,” said West. It allows us to capitalize on the powerful mobility and Internet trends, and create wireless services and applications that take advantage of each company’s history of product development innovation.”

“Google shares Sprint’s vision for enhancing the consumer’s mobile lifestyle and is focused on greater access to information through a variety of channels,” said Dave Girouard, vice president and general manager Google Enterprise. “We look forward to working with Sprint to bring to market a rich and compelling broadband experience for WiMAX customers.”

Sprint will provide open standard APIs (application programming interfaces) so developers can create customized products for browsable devices, facilitating personalized and interactive services for consumer, business, public safety and government customers.

These services will be available in a variety of WiMAX embedded devices, says Sprint, including connection cards, stand-alone modems, laptop computers and consumer electronic devices such as personal media players, mobile Internet devices, gaming devices and phones. Eventually, the WiMAX service will be available in vehicles for navigation information, news and entertainment.

Sprint plans WiMAX test service in the Chicago, Baltimore and Washington DC areas by year-end 2007. Commercial service is expected to be available in a number of markets starting April 2008 and cover 100 million people by year-end 2008 in conjunction with a planned partnership with Clearwire.

Senza-Fili Consulting projects 54 million WiMAX subscribers by 2012, with growth driven by emerging markets. By 2012, 61% of WiMAX subscribers will use the technology for mobile access. A third of them will also use WiMAX as a fixed-access technology. Sprint said it will use ZTE’s express and USB cards as well as ZTE’s home networking gear. Sprint also has equipment deals with Motorola, Nokia and Samsung.

WiMAX Forum says a mid-sized city with a population of 1.75 million covering 1,500 km2 area (pdf) could start with low complexity base stations this year, then switch to more advanced base station antenna systems (with beamforming) in later years to match customer growth.

In its first 25 markets, Clearwire has been able to achieve a 10.4% average household penetration with gross margins rising to 72% before adding mobility to the mix, which it will do in late 2007.