Sprint has taken off the wraps on the first US 4G service. “XOHM” is now live in Baltimore, with DC and Chicago expected to come online soon. More than just a faster wireless network, Sprint’s attempting to encorach on the home broadband market, in addition to serving road warriors, by bundling high speed Internet access – $50/mo covers two WiMax devices, such as a home router and a laptop card. To put that in perspective, service on one typical 3G card currently runs $60/mo. They’re also touting no long-term commitments or contracts, though good luck finding another use for the hardware when you deactive. If they can quickly blanket large swathes of the nation in coverage and promote this thing right (no easy feat), WiMax has a real shot at taking off. At the very least, new competition should help push or keep broadband prices down.
