Sprint To Add WiMax Coverage with… Walmart?
According to AndroidGuys, a tipster has reported that Sprint may just be looking to Walmart for help in providing WiMax coverage throughout the U.S. According to the source, Walmart would be adding WiMax towers on top of all of their stores, thereby catapulting Sprint to near nationwide 4G coverage in one fell swoop. Because of the placement of the towers, Sprint could save a ton of money in zoning and the cost associated with erecting free-standing towers.
With LTE just a few months away from a global implementation, and specifically for Verizon and AT&T in the U.S., this would be a huge addition to Sprint's current lead in the 4G race. Sprint knows they need the head start and are obviously hoping to get as many new contracts as possible prior to thier competition even getting off the ground, as evidenced by their latest round of commercials and marketing information. We also know that Sprint has plans to release WiMax enabled handsets in 2010 and the rumored partnership with Walmart would certainly help them provide their 4G service to a much larger demographic.
I don't know if the source is right on or just plain off his rocker, but as a Sprint customer and a resident in Walmart country, I sure am hopeful. Let us know you think in the comments.
© 2010, rainfreak. All rights reserved.
If Sprint pulls this off and gets a high end Android Device I will be a Sprint Customer!
I live about a mile from a walmart, I hope this is true, I’d drop comcast in a second.
I’m curious to see what this does to sprints stock. I think its gonna do wonders.
Yay for me! No more 1X!!!
This is brilliant! Why didn’t one of these companies think something like this up before (even with just regular towers.) Feel bad for having started to loose faith in Sprint – I hope they pull this off.
Damn, this would be sweet!
Sprint wins the internets if this is true
I remember hearing rumors about Walmart negotiating tower leases a while ago. Turned out there was a company that does a lot of tower builds/consulting/management that was trying to force lower rates on existing leases (http://www.steelintheair.com/Blog/2008/02/blackdot-wireless-and-at-still-trying.html).
Regardless, I’d be surprised if Sprint did this. Clearwire, _maybe_, but still unlikely. Tower leases are complicated (and costly) enough. Trying to work those details out with a company as large as Walmart would be a nightmare.
Of course, that’s not to say it’s not impossible. Anything could happen, and being a Sprint customer I’d have a reason to go near Walmart stores instead of avoiding at all costs :>
lol if this is a GO sprint just pwnd the others i have 3 walmarts in my town lol
Win for Sprint, suck it Verizon