Motorola, Sprint Nextel to deliver WiMAX to the Windy City

Motorola, Inc. has been awarded the Chicago market by Sprint Nextel for the build-out of its WiMAX wireless broadband service to deploy at least 1,000 sites in the greater Chicagoland area, providing select area coverage that complements Sprint Nextel’s existing EV-DO network.

Initial service is expected to begin late in 2007, with the commercial launch set for the first half of 2008.

“We are proud to be working with Sprint Nextel to bring the Windy City true wireless broadband service with WiMAX technology,” said Fred Wright, senior vice president, Motorola Networks and Enterprise.  “Motorola’s WiMAX technology is poised to deliver wireless broadband data speeds – that significantly exceed the performance of today’s 3G technology solutions – to a new generation of consumer electronics devices as well as more traditional multi-media and specialized data devices.”

This week, Motorola is partnering with Sprint Nextel to showcase the strength and breadth of the MOTOwi4 wireless broadband portfolio, including WiMAX solutions, at the 2007 International CES in Las Vegas.

At CES, Motorola is showcasing live WiMAX demonstrations featuring elements of its broad WiMAX portfolio. A live WAP 400 series WiMAX access point with MIMO capabilities communicates with various end user devices to demonstrate rich-media streaming and IP video telephony applications.

Motorola is also featuring various WiMAX desktop subscriber devices including the CPEi200 and CPEi400 series products as well as WiMAX PC cards. These devices are easy to install with “plug and play” functionality and support advanced antenna techniques to provide excellent range, throughput, and indoor penetration.