Sprint Nextel Corp. COO Len Lauer said today at WCA the service provider plans to launch a 4G network in the top 100 U.S. markets by 2008. In the meantime, Sprint will leverage 3G and its recent partnership with the cablecos to deliver converged voice and data services this year.
Lauer said if Sprint’s Power Vision live video services enjoyed widespread adoption, with a majority of subscribers watching just three to four hours of video per month, the current EV-DO network will be choked. Thus, Sprint is vetting various 4G architectures, with plans to deploy in 67Mhz of adjacent BRS spectrum in the 2.5Ghz band, including 802.16e with two trials planned this year, f-OFDM and 3G-LTE, among others.
"Our main goals are to adhere to a global standard, while being able to deliver the bandwidth at an appropriate price,” Lauer said, adding the plan is to offer a gigabyte of data at 3-4mbps throughput at $20-$40 per month, using an architecture that also is deployed across the pond.
"We hope to differentiate by being two years ahead in deploying 4G than our competition," Lauer said.
Meanwhile, the company will continue to focus on its 3G network, expanding service to 260 million people in 2007. It also will improve throughputs and latencies, and will focus on distributing content, entertainment and media while leveraging relationships with top cablecos Time Warner Cable, Comcast and others.
"The consumer has choices for video, high-speed data and telephony, and they can add wireless," Lauer said. "But they want it all from one provider, and not just on one bill and one point of service."
Beginning in the middle of the year and continuing through 2007, Sprint and its cable partners will begin offering integrated services such as caller ID on the television; the ability to program a DVR via the cell phone; the ability to pull up a home cable guide while on the road and stream channels; and home docking stations for mobile-to-home follow-me service.
The provider also will work with cable companies to expand voice coverage; Lauer said multimodal Wi-Fi and CDMA handsets will allow Sprint subscribers to use VoIP over Wi-Fi at the home and office, and CDMA in the widea area network.
"The No. 1 reason for churn in the wireless world is network coverage, especially in-building coverage," he said.
Sprint Nextel Corp. www.sprint.com
