Sprint's XOHM to merge with Clearwire?

There's no denying that Sprint's forthcoming XOHM service is going to be innovative--it'll be open to all devices, it will sport a wired broadband-like pricing structure and it'll be WiMAX, for cryin' out loud. There's also no denying, however, that Sprint has seen better times and a WiMAX infrastructure build-out--as exciting as it may be--is a massively expensive undertaking. So what to do? For a while there, it looked like Sprint was a prime acquisition target but those rumors never quite panned out. Now, it's starting to look like Clearwire--who's already buddy-buddy with Sprint with regards to their XOHM initiative--might step in and play a bigger role than originally envisioned. Among the hard choices that Sprint currently faces is whether or not to hold on to its XOHM business unit and one idea currently on the table (according to the Wall Street Journal) is spinning off the XOHM unit, which would then merge with Clearwire's WiMAX unit to form a new public company. Other possibilities include an outright buyout of Clearwire or begging shareholders for more cash to build out the XOHM network with. Only time will tell which one of these is the right answer, though it doesn't really matter much to us--just get us that WiMAX on time, capiche?

For more on the possible spin-off/merger:
- see this Wall Street Journal article