Sprint Nextel’s US mobile WiMAX network operation will launch commercially in Baltimore this September followed by the Washington DC and Chicago markets during the fourth-quarter, according to reports. The move follows previous regional trials. Further deployments will occur as the operator plans its eventual nationwide deployment of mobile WiMAX technology in the 2.5GHz frequency band, Sprint Nextel CTO Barry West is quoted as stating this week. The operator initially planned to launch commercial services last April but faced problems with backhaul and delays in setting up back-office systems to handle billing and other tasks.

These launches are planned as Sprint moves ahead with merging its WiMAX unit with Clearwire. Last month, Sprint Nextel and Clearwire announced details of their joint-venture, reported to be valued at US$14.5 billion. The new company has raised a total of US$3.2 billion in outside financing from several high-profile industry players; reports suggest cable provider Comcast has invested US$1.05 billion; US$1 billion has come from Intel; Time Warner Cable has invested US$550 million; Google has invested US$500 million; and smaller cable provider Bright House has contributed US$100 million. The new operation aims to have 30 million subscribers and generate US$17.5 billion in revenue by 2017. It also projects an average monthly per-user revenue of US$60 to US$65.