Clearwire CEO Confident in FCC’s WiMAX Merger Approval

Maybe you’ve heard of Sprint-Nextel Corp.’s plans to spin off its Xohm WiMAX operations to Clearwire Corp.? The FCC plans to vote today on whether the deal can go forward. The vote comes amid lobbying by AT&T Inc. against the deal.

Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff is however confident that the FCC will approve the merger, which would then go to Clearwire shareholders for approval on Nov. 19. Wolff calls the move clearly pro-competition.

The Sprint-Clearwire WiMAX adventure is the first 4G network (read: cable/DSL-level mobile broadband) to be built in the United States, with a time-to-market advantage over AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which are planning to deploy LTE networks beginning in 2010.