Well, what do you know? Sometimes even the most repetitive of rumors finally comes true. Barely 12 hours after the Wall Street Journal reported that a deal between Sprint, Clearwire (and just about everyone) else was dangerously close to going down, it seems as if the bottom lines have indeed been signed. Details are pretty light at the moment, but we definitively know that Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. will be merging their "next-generation wireless broadband businesses to form a new wireless communications company." Quite simply, the new WiMAX-pushing outfit will be called Clearwire, even though Sprint will hold around 51-percent of the firm, while existing Clearwire shareholders will own 27-percent and the new investors will hold 22-percent. New investors? Ah yes, Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks will collectively invest $3.2 billion in the new company, but that figure is "based on a target price of $20 a share of Clearwire's common stock, and is subject to a post-closing adjustment."

[Via CNN]

Talk about putting the cart before the horse. Without a bona fide WiMAX network for mass consumer use up and running yet here in America, Siemens is making sure you're really ready for its onset by announcing its first WiMAX ExpressCard. The Gigaset SE68 WiMAX is based on the IEEE 802.16-2005 standard and complies with Wave 2 specifications (including MIMO A / B), supports beamforming and has actually been demonstrated as functional way over in Singapore. With a network in place, users can expect mobile broadband speeds of up to 20Mbps, and while no price is given, you can just circle the entire summer of 2008 in anticipation of its arrival.

We've been hearing that China Mobile would have its act together and get TD-SCDMA ready well in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics since last November, and with merely months to spare, it seems things just may work out. Reportedly, the carrier is all set to begin commercial trials of the home cooked 3G standard on April 1st, where it will be tested in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Qinhuangdao and of course, Beijing. Initially, China Mobile Group will provide 20,000 lucky souls with free TD-SCDMA phones and subsidies of 800 yuan per month, while folks outside of that group can also walk into retail outlets and pick up discounted handsets on a whim. Maybe it's just us, but we'd probably hold off until those guinea pigs gave everyone else a heads-up of the network quality before we went dropping our own change on it.

[Via mocoNews]

Truth be told, there's nothing extraordinary about Sierra Wireless' latest EV-DO USB modem. It plays nice with Rev. A networks, includes a microSD slot, and comes with TRU-Install to simplify the setup procedure. Granted, it is "the only product in its class to include a connector for an external antenna (saywha?)," and it is remarkably small, so it's still worth a look if you're currently doing without. As expected, you'll reach downlink speeds of up to 3.1Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1.8Mbps, and the built-in GPS antenna is a nice bonus, too. Unfortunately, we've no idea how costly this one will be, but be on the lookout for a Q2 launch.

[Via MobileBurn]

Yeah, we're starting to feel slightly bombarded with portable cellular routers, but we can't help but crack a smile each time one of these wonderful creations rolls into the commercial realm. Today, we've got Digi unveiling its new Digi Connect WAN 3G, which is hailed as an upgradeable 3G WWAN router for "primary and backup connectivity to remote sites and devices." Besides supporting both EV-DO and HSDPA standards, it also aims to provide "a fast and easy Ethernet-to-3G wireless connection" and even includes a built-in VPN. Sadly, no price is mentioned, but we're sure the folks at Digi wouldn't mind coughing up that information if you called up with the right tone of voice.

It's not like we haven't seen truckloads of portable WiFi routers before, but iBox2Go seems pretty jazzed up about its iteration. The dubiously named HotSpot in a Box arrives in a relatively large case that's sure to make avid travelers scratch their heads, and looks to include Sprint's Novatel U727 EV-DO card along with all the required cabling. Consumers can select from a trio of routers: the iB100 features USB only and a single Ethernet port, the iB300 adds PCMCIA and the iB500 tacks on an ExpressCard slot, 802.11n support and three more RJ-45 ports. Reportedly, each unit can handle up to ten simultaneous connections, and you can grab one now for $249.99, $199.99 and $349.99, respectively. Oh, and click on through for a video chock full of enthusiasm about this thing.

Good news for those in Pakistan hungry for another link to the 'net: Wateen Telecom has officially launched its WiMAX / HFC services for the consumer market. Reportedly, Motorola played a huge role in deploying the "first 802.16e commercial WiMAX network in Pakistan," and according to Wateen, it's the largest WiMAX network "ever installed." In case you hadn't already guessed, Wateen Telecom is indeed a Abu Dhabi venture, and the service will initially be made available in 22 cities. For more details on exact coverage and rate plans, be sure and check out Wateen's website.

[Via Metroblogging Karachi, thanks Zainuddin Z.]

Merely months after cranking out the CTR-350, CradlePoint has upped the ante with the even more portable PHS300. This bugger enables a selection of handsets and USB cellular modems to create a "personal WiFi hotspot," and unlike its sibling, this one sports a built-in Li-ion to keep the connection alive (for a few hours, anyway) where there's no AC outlet in sight. Furthermore, you'll find WEP / WPA security features, an integrated firewall and the ability to charge up your phone via USB if necessary. Sound like just the thing you need? If so, you can drop your pre-order in now for $179.99 and patiently await the December 20th ship date.

[Via The Boy Genius Report]

A 20-year old EU legislation is on the brink of being abandoned, and it's good news for those wanting more 3G across the pond. Reportedly, European Union telecom ministers supported proposals to "open radio frequencies allocated exclusively for GSM mobile phone services to other technologies, such as 3G mobile data." If approved by the European Parliament, creating a 3G network in the 900MHz band could provide "up to 40-percent greater coverage than one in the 2,100MHz band for the same capital expenditure," according to the GSM Association. Furthermore, some 300 million more individuals across Asia, Europe and Africa could purportedly have access to mobile broadband by 2012 if operators could use the 900MHz spectrum for 3G services. Sounds good from here, but we've no idea how long it'll take to hear a final decision on all this.

Still waiting around to hop on the Rev. A highway? Although last week would've been a swell time to do so, now's not too bad either, and Verizon Wireless customers have yet another option at their fingertips. The Kyocera KPC680 ExpressCard is available now for anyone interested, and enables BroadbandAccess users to reach average download speeds of 600kbps to 1.4Mbps and upload speeds that range from 500kbps to 800kbps when situated in a Rev. A area. Additionally, this thing sports a "breakthrough" (ahem) antenna design that "moves the antenna away from the device as it is opened, providing greater sensitivity, dual external antenna ports for signal flexibility and a compact form factor." Get yours now for just $49.99 after a mail-in rebate and throwing your John Hancock on a two-year agreement.

We've already seen a number of ultra-high speed alternatives to LTE trialed and drooled over, so it's about time that Long Term Evolution had its 15 minutes, too. The LTE / SAE Trial Initiative, founded by a gaggle of companies including Nokia, has recently revealed that initial testing "confirmed that the technology will deliver high levels of data throughput both for stationary and mobile devices." More specifically, it was suggested that peak 100Mbps downlink / 50Mbps uplink rates could indeed be met, and we're told that confirmation was "achieved using an agreed set of common transmission profiles, test procedures, and analysis methods." Beyond the hip, hip, hooray, there's not a lot of details to share, but those interested in basking in the glory of one darn fine trial can hit the read link and have at it.

[Via Physorg, image courtesy of LetsGoMobile]

After Verizon's ambiguousness ended up hitting it right where it hurts (read: the wallet), the carrier cleaned up its act a bit and redefined "unlimited" in a hot-off-the-press version of its Terms & Conditions. While perusing through the legalese, you'll notice that checking out "continuous web camera posts or broadcasts / automatic data feeds (RSS)" are strictly prohibited, right along with P2P sharing or using your BroadbandAccess as a "substitute or backup for private lines or dedicated data connections." Moving on, you'll also see that exceeding 5GB of usage during any single billing period gives Verizon the right to "reduce throughput speeds of any application that would otherwise exceed such speed to a maximum of approximately 200Kbps." It gets worse -- these speeds are (unsurprisingly) "subject to change," so it sounds like your connection can be throttled right on down to a crawl should you pass the 5GB barrier. Have fun!*

[Via jkOnTheRun]

*...just keep it under 5GB if you know what's good for you.

The deal seemed all but imminent back in July, but apparently, Sprint and Clearwire never actually signed a definitive agreement to cooperate on a WiMAX build-out. Now, it seems that Sprint is going down the same road it traversed this summer, as it looks for creative ways to handle its $5 billion WiMAX situation which it "remains committed to." Aside from actively seeking a new CEO, higher-ups in the outfit are considering a potential merger with Clearwire, which would enable the resulting entity to be publicly traded. According to The Wall Street Journal, other options include seeking a "strategic investor for its WiMAX unit, acquiring Clearwire outright or formalizing the deal struck in July." As it stands, however, it doesn't look like any major WiMAX restructuring will take place until a new head honcho clocks in, but it was suggested that Sprint was in talks with Google to "carry devices based on Google's new operating system," which opens up a whole new can of worms...

Although we're sure some of you are dead set on using one carrier, Qualcomm is making sure the indecisive (or well-traveled) ones out there are covered, too. The firm's Gobi chip promises to play nice with both EV-DO and HSPA (but not WiMAX) networks, which should mean that a number of laptops will soon boast multi-carrier WWAN support right out of the box. The introduction of the two-faced device gives users the ability to switch operators or choose the one with the best coverage in a given area without having to lug around two laptops or laptop-connect cards. You'll also appreciate the fact that these things are actually immediately available, and according to Qualcomm, they should appear in various lappies in mid-2008.

Regrettably, Verizon Wireless isn't the only carrier out there that once (or still does) recognized a mighty skewed definition of "unlimited" when it came to data plans, but for those still jaded from being cut off for "excessive use" earlier this year, justice has finally been served. The company has recently agreed to "reimburse the terminated subscribers for the cost of the laptop cards or laptop-connected cellphones" they purchased in order to surf the mobile broadband highway, and moreover, it'll be shelling out $150,000 in "penalties and costs" to New York state. Of course, the firm now makes clear that BroadbandAccess customers can be snubbed if they continuously stream audio / video content, enable P2P sharing or exceed 5GB of data usage per month, but it sounds like reimbursement is on the way for those disconnected when terms were more ambiguous.