Biggest tech stories of 2008

WiMAX gets off the ground

After months of anticipation, Sprint Nextel in October made its WiMAX network available commercially for the first time, beginning in Baltimore. Another key milestone occurred in December, when Sprint Nextel and wireless network operator Clearwire completed a deal to create a new company and build a nationwide WiMax network. The deal brings together Sprint's and Clearwire's radio spectrum holdings and fledgling WiMax operations under a new company that will retain the Clearwire name. (Sprint's Baltimore WiMax service, under the Xohm brand name, will gradually transition to the Clear name.) In the big picture, the appeal of WiMAX is that it's the fastest wireless-data standard available until the GSM-based Long Term Evolution (LTE) arrives two or more years from now. In the long term, WiMAX could be a major player in bringing broadband to rural and developing areas.

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