Sprint announced plans to cut 5,000 jobs last week, which some assumed would accompany decreased spending on its WiMAX network buildout, but as GigaOM noticed, the carrier actually increased its spending from $1 billion in 2007 to $1.1 billion. The figure includes $300 million for start-up operating costs and $800 million for WiMAX capex. The original release called for an investment of $1 billion in 2007 followed by between $1.5 million and $2 billion in 2008. No word yet on whether those figures are likely to get a boost too. Sprint's response to the contention that the figure is higher than the original projection: "Yes. But to be frank I think most interpreted the original release to read as capex instead of both."
For more on the carrier's WiMAX plans:
- read the post from the sharp-eyed reporter over at GigaOM
ALSO: Sprint has launched handsets that support both Nextel's professional-grade walkie-talkie service and Sprint's voice and data service. A positive follow-up to last week's news about iDEN, to be sure. Release