The race is on for the 4G mobile customer, and all of the major wireless carriers are spending billions of dollars upgrading their networks. This week, Sprint and Clearwire both expanded their 4G offerings into Houston.

Sprint has opted to build its 4G capacity on a transmission standard known as WiMAX. Announcing the launch of service in Houston, the company touted its early foray into the next-generation of wireless services, well ahead of its major, national competitors. Later this year, Sprint plans to roll out a number of 4G devices, including laptops embedded with a 4G data card.

Meanwhile, Clearwire championed its new 4G services in Houston, also based on the WiMAX standard. Clearwire describes its service as similar to WiFi but with much wider range. For mobile professionals, it offers wireless access without the challenge of having to locate WiFi hotspots or being slowed down by 3G modem cards.

For an overview of the transformation of wireless networks to 4G, take a look at an article by Glenn Strachan at MSNBC. Strachan reviews the evolution of wireless infrastructure from the beginning, and he explains how 4G services will differ from 3G. With 3G, you can use voice and data services over the same device, browse the Internet, watch videos and transmit images. With 4G, you will be able to use voice, data, streaming services at the same time and at very high speeds.

Cliff Edwards and Olga Kharif at BusinessWeek examine what Sprint's 4G effort may mean for the company's long-term health. While Sprint's early deployments give it a head start over competitors--such as Verizon and AT&T, which are using the rival 4G transmission standard, long-term evolution (LTE)--WiMAX is not expected to become the dominant standard.

For more:
- see the Sprint press release
- see the Clearwire press release
- read the MSNBC article
- read the BusinessWeek article

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