Sprint CEO Sees “Logic” In a T-Mobile Merger

The network is using an alternative 4G wireless technology called WiMAX, but Mr Hesse said Sprint and Clearwire had sufficient radio spectrum to also deploy an infrastructure involving LTE.

“We have the spectrum resources where we could add LTE if we choose to do that, on top of the WiMAX network,” he added. “The beauty of having a lot of spectrum is we have a lot of flexibility…”

Mr Hesse accepted there was a “logic” to a merger between Sprint and T-Mobile USA if they were both using the same 4G technology, but declined to comment about deal activity.

From a sheer competitiveness standpoint, the deal would be a no-brainer for Sprint and T-Mo, both of whom have recently lagged far behind AT&T and Verizon. The only sticking point really is the network; Sprint would have to either abandon WiMax for LTE or operate both simultaneously, while T-Mobile has thus far stuck with their speedy HSPA+ 3G network instead of committing to a 4G technology.

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