According to AndroidGuys, a tipster has reported that Sprint may just be looking to Walmart for help in providing WiMax coverage throughout the U.S. According to the source, Walmart would be adding WiMax towers on top of all of their stores, thereby catapulting Sprint to near nationwide 4G coverage in one fell swoop. Because of the placement of the towers, Sprint could save a ton of money in zoning and the cost associated with erecting free-standing towers.
With LTE just a few months away from a global implementation, and specifically for Verizon and AT&T in the U.S., this would be a huge addition to Sprint’s current lead in the 4G race. Sprint knows they need the head start and are obviously hoping to get as many new contracts as possible prior to thier competition even getting off the ground, as evidenced by their latest round of commercials and marketing information. We also know that Sprint has plans to release WiMax enabled handsets in 2010 and the rumored partnership with Walmart would certainly help them provide their 4G service to a much larger demographic.
I don’t know if the source is right on or just plain off his rocker, but as a Sprint customer and a resident in Walmart country, I sure am hopeful. Let us know you think in the comments.