Samsung, Sprint Nextel bring WiBro to US

Samsung and Sprint Nextel are teaming up for a U.S. test run of WiBro, a technology that gives users wireless access to the Internet while on the move. As part of the deal, Sprint Nextel will provide the necessary communications equipments and handsets for the trial run. Samsung has been developing the technology with KT and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute since 2003. The company will also supply WiBro equipment to other overseas mobile operators, including Japan's KDDI and British Telecom, by the end of the year.

Insiders say WiBro's arrival in the US parallels the success of CDMA. The deal with Sprint Nextel positions Samsung to become a major player in the mobile Internet services global market. The WiBro service will considerably slash the cost of Internet access for cell phones and enable users to access the Internet even while traveling in a car at 60 mph.

For more on WiBro's arrival in the U.S.:
- take a look at this story from Chosun