Sprint-Nextel is by far the biggest global supporter of WiMax - the faster, omnipresent, so-called fourth-generation (4G) broadband wireless network - and is pinning its future hopes on it! No wonder, the company Wednesday announced deploying WiMax cellular data network services in ten US cities this year, followed by an additional five more cities next year!

In fall last year, Baltimore became the first US city to receive a comprehensive 4G WiMax rollout. In December, Sprint-Nextel closed a $14.5 billion merger with Clearwire, and the two companies combined their 4G businesses.

The ten cities where Sprint 4G WiMax service will be rolled out this year include Atlanta; Charlotte, N. C.; Chicago; Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas; Honolulu; Las Vegas; Philadelphia; Seattle; and Portland, Ore. where the service will start in January 2010.

In addition, five target markets marked for Sprint's 4G WiMax service in 2010 include the populous US cities of Boston; Houston; New York; San Francisco; and Washington, D. C.

About Sprint's WiMax service expansion, Todd Rowley, the Sprint 4G Vice President, said: "Sprint continues to lead the wireless industry by harnessing the power of WiMax. The availability of Sprint 4G in more places this year and our aggressive expansion of Sprint 4G service demonstrates our commitment to provide 4G capabilities and devices nationwide for our business, consumer and government customers."