Santa, please save Sprint Nextel

With the holiday season approaching, I thought it was a perfect time to ask Santa to grant some of my wireless wishes. Here's what I want this holiday season:  

1. Santa, please save Sprint Nextel. I want Sprint, the underdog operator, to overcome all of its issues and be restored to the innovative nationwide operator it once was. I long for a return of the old Sprint that was a wireless data leader and a formidable competitor to AT&T and Verizon Wireless. 

2. Put an end to the iPhone clones. Handset makers: stop trying to copy the iPhone and instead come up with your own breakthrough wireless device that delivers a superb user experience. Even better, make sure the phone works flawlessly on carrier 3G networks before you debut it.

3. Help Clearwire's WiMAX vision come true. I know there are a lot of naysayers that doubt Clearwire's vision of a nationwide WiMAX network will come to fruition, but I'd love to see it happen. I think this savvy upstart could challenge traditional wireless operator business models and create a much more competitive U.S. wireless market. Plus, Clearwire's mobile WiMAX buildout will likely result in Verizon Wireless and AT&T upgrading to LTE more quickly and that would be a big plus for wireless infrastructure vendors that are currently struggling with the tough economic conditions.

My list may not be long, but my wishes aren't going to be easy to grant. I hope Santa has some business-savvy elves ready to buckle down and work on my list. Let's not stop here-- send your wireless wish list to sue@fiercemarkets.com [1] or comment below. --Sue [2]