Editor's Corner

 
I will be shocked if Sprint Nextel doesn't announce a deal with IPWireless soon to deploy the company's TD-CDMA technology in the 2.5 GHz band. All the signs are there that Sprint is poised to announce an agreement with the company. In January, Sprint made an additional $10 million investment in IPWireless after making a $4 million investment last July. Carriers don't make investments in technology companies when they aren't interested in using the technology.

Today's announcement from IPWireless is another indication of Sprint's plans. MobiTV, which offers digital television to Sprint customers, has teamed with IPWireless to jointly develop next-generation mobile television delivery solutions that combine unicast technologies with IPWireless' TDtv multicasting. IPWireless launched TDtv last month, saying the technology allows 3G operators to use existing spectrum and infrastructure to offer mobile TV and multimedia services rather than creating deals with separate players or acquiring new spectrum. While IPWireless has said the target market of TDtv is Europe, remember that Sprint Nextel has said it will launch mobile TV in the 2.5 GHz band. Obviously, MobiTV knows someone big is going to adopt TD-CDMA and TDtv or it wouldn't be working with IPWireless. - Lynnette