Sprint Nextel made an 8K filing late last week that included an amendment to CTO Barry West's employment agreement. Walter Piecyk, analyst with Pali Research, said he believes the move was made to keep West from leaving the company. West, the former CTO of Nextel, is a central figure to Sprint's upcoming technology decision in the 2.5 GHz band, and rumors have indicated that Sprint is leaning toward mobile WiMAX in that band. According to Pali Research, the new employment package with West provides incentive for him to stay until February of next year, given the 100-percent vesting that occurs at that time. "It is our belief that an additional agreement would likely have to be made to keep him at the company beyond that date, but we note that the company West would likely publicly refute that belief," said Piecyk. Web site