US operator Sprint appears unlikely to follow its rivals in a move away from unlimited data packages for its WiMAX network and is also keen to attract more enterprise users to the technology. IDG News reports that Todd Rowley, VP of the operator’s ‘4G’ division, told delegates at the MobileBeat event this week that Sprint saw subscriber behaviour change after it introduced a 5GB monthly cap on its 3G data plans a few years ago, and is part of the reason the carrier is wary about capping data consumption on its new WiMAX service. Some consumers became worried about using data after the cap was imposed; the last thing the carrier wants to happen with WiMAX. The WiMAX network can accommodate more data use than 3G can, and Sprint today is more interested in encouraging use than in reining it in, Rowley said. The WiMAX network is designed to offer an average of between 3-6 Mb/s, higher than the average for Sprint’s EV-DO 3G network of about 1 Mb/s. It is also designed to be a more efficient network, allowing the carrier to deliver each bit at lower cost. Interestingly, Rowley noted that the average Sprint WiMAX subscriber downloads less than the average 7GB/month download that a Clearwire WiMAX subscriber has been consuming, as most Sprint users  are mobile or nomadic rather than fixed-location users. Meanwhile, NetworkWorld cites Jeff Adelmann, Sprint’s director of device and 4G marketing, as stating that, eventually, as WiMAX connection speeds increase and as the service becomes more ubiquitous, business customers will use WiMAX to replace their wireline services and simply go with a wireless network as their main way to connect to the Web. The operator believes that mobile video conferencing, surveillance systems and e-health services can all be supported by its WiMAX network. The one obstacle in Sprint’s way to enterprise success though is the coverage area of its WiMAX network, which is nowhere near nationwide at present.

Significantly, IDG’s article adds that Rowley confirmed reports Sprint is considering its options with regard to LTE deployment, the next-generation mobile technology that most carriers around the world plan to deploy. Depending on which of their spectrum bands they used, Sprint and Clearwire could adopt either the TD (time-division) or the FD (frequency-division) variants of LTE, Rowley said. Choosing TD-LTE would give Sprint an easier transition from its WiMAX network, while FD-LTE would probably give Sprint subscribers access to a wider variety of handsets, especially ones that would allow roaming to other domestic and international LTE networks.