AT&T’s Apple iPhone and Sprint’s Instinct touch phone is not the only rivalry brewing between these two foremost cellular networks. AT&T has been bullying Sprint for a long time now, trying to prevent the Sprint and Clearwire union from merging both of their assets in order to create a nationwide broadband wireless network.

The only difference is that this time, Sprint is fighting back. Sprint recently filed a response, declaring that “The New Clearwire transaction presents an unparalleled opportunity to accelerate broadband deployment in the United States,” Sprint declared.

Furthermore Sprint has addressed AT&T’s false claims against the WiMax wireless network. They stated that only three parties objected to the Sprint and Clearwire transaction or anticipated conditions. According to Sprint, “Their claims lack merit and provide no basis for denying, delaying, or imposing conditions on the approval of the New Clearwire license transfers,” Sprint stated.

This 59-page document is full of proofs against the erroneous claims being brought by AT&T, in essence Sprint has put on their gloves and is fighting back to preserve their right to launch their powerful broadband wireless network.

Hundreds of religious and educational institutions have rallied behind Sprint and Clearwire, now Intel , Google, Comcast and Time Warner are not alone. They all realize the importance of a WiMax wireless network and the great opportunities that could arise as a result. According so Scott Sloat, a Sprint representative, “The transaction poses no competitive concerns, and the public interest strongly weighs in favor of quick Commission approval.”

It is interesting to note that as of now AT&T is one of the largest telecommunications company in the world. Hopefully, the commission will reject their unadorned complaints and see them for what they are; an attempt to distort the public’s view of a powerful broadband wireless network for their own ruthless self-interests.

AT&T Phone Company is once again challenging the imminent merger of Sprint Nextel with Clearwire, whose aim is to merge both companies’ WiMax assets in order to create a nationwide broadband wireless network.

This merger would be huge for Wimax, estimating a deal worth 14. 5 billion dollars, and is promising to be a huge success. Just ask Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), all companies who are currently backing this magnanimous merger.

This union would be a grave threat to AT&T’s future success and longevity as a company, and therefore they are claiming that Sprint and Clearwire are “failing to make the required showings necessary for the commission’s review.” They are hoping that this new claim against Wimax would prohibit the FCC from approving its launch.

AT&T clearly understands the importance of mass mergers, seeing as how the company exists today solely because of a mergence between their company and Bellsouth. This alliance has allowed AT&T to grow and reach profound heights in profit margins and overall global accessibility. The same could all too easily occur as a result of the coalition between Sprint and Clearwire, an outcome that obviously leaves AT&T worried.

And AT&T has more than one reason to be nervous about the Wimax wireless network. AT&T is currently working on their own 3G wireless technology, but it is still light years away from the technology currently being deployed by the Sprint and Clearwire union.

With advanced technologies and unparalleled support from large corporations such as Intel and Google, it is no surprise why AT&T is scared about its ineludible launch.

If Amsterdam is any indication, mobile WiMAX is already starting to overtake widespread WiFi in large metropolitan centers. Today Worldmax, a privately held Dutch firm, with Alcatel-Lucent, has activated a WiMAX network that covers the hub of the city, providing high-speed broadband to subscribers far beyond the limited berth of WiFi hotspots (Reuters).

This network, termed Aurea, is only a shadow of the scale of deployment the company wishes to have in place within the next few years–by the end of the summer, the entire city; by the a few years’ end, the entire country. The new network boasts activation within 2 working days, and a monthly subscription fee, entailing access to unlimited wireless data, of 20 euros a month. Currently, it needs a WiMAX PC card and USB adapter, but as soon as Intel (a large investor in Worldmax) produces its WiMAX-compatible notebook chips, users will have all the technology they need, right out of the box (Edubourse). Quite the efficient relationship!

Worldmax, Alcatel-Lucent, and Intel intends to showcase their new system with live feeds from taxis and cruise ships at the WiMAX Forum Global Congress, which, in fact, just started today. Whether their network lives up to expectation remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: Worldmax definitely knows how to kick off an event.

The development of WiMAX-enabled chips provides a foundation on which WiMAX can take hold in the wireless world. Being that many have cited this year as the “year for WiMAX“, an increase in the development and release of WiMAX-enabled chips has been an intuitive projection for the near future. Intel and Motorola intuitively come up on top in such discussions. Intel in particular has received some buzz for its Centrino 2 Montevina chip. Intel is quoted with this description:

It will feature unprecedented processor performance for faster multitasking, high-bandwidth Wi-Fi (802.11agn), and for the first time, an optional integrated WiMax-Wi-Fi module. Centrino 2 also has a power-saving design to provide the longest possible battery life - News.cnet.com, Brooke Crothers

Apparently this development is only the beginning. As more compact and efficient WiMAX-enabled chips are developed and popularized, the more cost may ease for end-users–ultimately good news for general growth and developments in the field. Along the same vein, Investor’s Business Daily provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of WiMAX chip development, citing roughly 40 companies that are involved in developing WiMAX chips.

Though there were echoes suggesting that Xohm would soft launch in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, DC early this winter, these plans clearly did not materialize, leaving many wondering when this first big step for Xohm would come to fruition in the United States. As stated on a post on DailyTech, Sprint’s Vice President for Technology Development, Ali Tabassi, says that the time could be this spring.

This piece of information comes as a response to this past Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where products were enthusiastically displayed with some praises for the WiMAX and murmurs against LTE and competing technologies. Potential users in the United States, however, have yet to see WiMAX developments, making timing ever more crucial for Xohm. Tabassi already acknowledges that delays with Sprint mean that it will mostly likely not reach the hoped-for 100 million subscriber mark this year.

At the same time, though, there is plenty of behind the scenes development that could very well push Xohm ahead. Talks between Sprint and Clearwire are still reported to be near a close, with word of an additional $2 million investment from Intel and probably others. As the deal officially comes to a close the path ahead for Xohm should become clearer to investors and those interested in the progress of WiMAX.

InformationWeek reports that Intel, Nokia and Nokia Siemens Network demonstrated an early version of a Wi-Fi/WiMAX network solution at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The technology is designed to allow mobile devices to seamlessly move from a Wi-Fi connection to a WiMAX connection with no disruption in internet access.  It works by responding to several different triggers; for example, a weakening Wi-Fi signal. Before the Wi-Fi signal is entirely lost, one is able to simultaneously connect to a WiMAX signal, leaving any online work unaffected by the switchover.

The article goes on to state the value of such a development:

Such anywhere, anytime connectivity is pivotal to mainstream adoption of future Internet-enabled devices, capable of accessing multimedia and other services over the Web. Intel and other companies are investing billions in the technology needed to build and support such devices, which are the future of mobile computing, proponents say.

Technologies like this are pivotal in terms of dual access, especially in moving some out of the familiarity of Wi-Fi into the still-somewhat-unfamiliar realm of WiMAX connectivity. But perhaps most valuable is the seamless quality of what Intel and Nokia are developing and what that will mean for mobile access.

WiMAX Day thinks so. Many have cited 2008 as the year for WiMAX. In fact, WiMAX topped several lists as a promising technology for the new year. The buzz about WiMAX may very well inspire more interest and more investments in the technology. WiMAX Day compares WiMAX to where GSM was ten years ago and estimates $30 billion in investments based on deployment of new networks, mergers and acquisitions, acquiring more spectrum, and other facets. According to the article:

“With all the spectrum up for grabs, we think 20 to 30 new WiMAX networks can pop up in the next year,” said an analyst at Deutsche Bank in New York. “There’s no average size for investment, but some of these can enter the hundreds of millions [of dollars] to billions, gauging from recent RFPs issued to vendors.”

These figures do not include what Sprint is putting into WiMAX this year, or the KDDI-Intel venture in Japan. As more capital enters the WiMAX industry, some of the projected growth for this year may very well start to take shape. More details on the specific numbers for 2008 will be released by WiMAX Day later this year.

In addition to the Montevina platform for notebooks, Intel may also be delivering WiMAX to ultraportables and mobile internet devices through its Menlow platform. InfoWorld reports that Intel is developing WiMAX chips specifically for mobile devices as an optional addition to the platform:

Intel is already developing a WiMax silicon chip codenamed Baxter Peak for mobile devices. Last year, Nokia said it would use Baxter Peak on its WiMax-enabled N-series Internet tablets, expected to ship in 2008... “[The chip] will be an option similar to how Echo Peak is an option for Centrino notebooks based on the Montevina mobile platform,” [according to Kari Aakre, an Intel spokeswoman]

With hopes of WiMAX taking off in 2009, Intel’s move toward including WiMAX chips in both notebooks and mobile devices is an excellent step toward boosting WiMAX adoption rates. Having a big name like Intel behind WiMAX and actively integrating supportive hardware will make providers that much more inclined to invest in WiMAX and customers that much more likely to subscribe to WiMAX services. Intel’s tactic also encourages a form of brand recognition in the sense that it gets the name “WiMAX” out to the public–thus building awareness about the technology and its capabilities.

Intel’s “Baxter Peak” and other WiMAX-enabled devices are scheduled for shipment early this year.