Sprint taps new agency, debuts Xohm WiMAX deals
January 9, 2008
Barry West, president of Xohm
Making strides in its wireless network initiative, Sprint Nextel has announced new Xohm mobile Internet business agreements for Web portal services and WiMAX network access devices.
As part of Sprint’s open Internet vision, Xohm is designed to extend the home and office Internet experience via a WiMAX- based nationwide network to enable Internet mobility for consumers and businesses. Barry West, president of Xohm, said the portal will provide Sprint with expansive e-commerce and ad revenue opportunities.
“We're exploring the potential of these as they relate to local and location-centric products and other capabilities that will be available with Xohm,” Mr. West said.
WiMAX technology provides open standards-based high-throughput wireless broadband connections over long distances. It will allow Xohm customers to experience a new form of interactive communications, high-speed Internet browsing, social networking tools, and local, location-based and multimedia services anywhere, any time and on any compatible device, Mr. West said.
Among its new initiatives for Xohm, Sprint has tapped Soho Square, a WPP Group plc advertising agency, to help launch the Xohm brand in the United States. Xohm will also use the services of WPP agencies including Ogilvy and Mindshare/GroupM.
Amdocs of St. Louis, MO, a provider of customer experience systems, has been awarded a multiyear agreement for software and services in support of the launch and operations of Xohm mobile Internet.
Per the agreement, Amdocs will be the main systems integrator responsible for the construction and maintenance of the new mobile portal for Xohm’s offerings, the company said.
Amdocs is also responsible for customer relationship management, service activation and provisioning and billing operations.
Two other deals were also struck.
Sprint has selected SwapDrive, Washington, to provide a hosted storage solution where Xohm subscribers can secure, organize, manage and access all their user-generated digital content though the Xohm portal from any device with a supported browser.
Also, eTelecare Global Solutions, Scottsdale, AZ, is providing voice and online support customer care services, and McAfee Inc., Santa Clara, CA, will implement online security products for PCs used on the Xohm WiMAX network, the company said.
“Xohm is largely about meeting the demand for untethered Internet service at mobile speeds not available today,” Mr. West said. “With Xohm and its capabilities, customers will experience innovative content and applications on a diverse set of devices.”
Sprint said that OQO, San Francisco intends to embed WiMAX wireless capability in an ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) and Taiwanese electronics manufacturer ASUSTek plans to produce a line of WiMAX-embedded devices for release during this year.
In addition, Zyxel Communications Corp., Anaheim, CA, and chip supplier Sequans have announced a collaboration to produce a WiMAX modem subscriber device for mobile Internet data and voice services, which will debut with the launch of the commercial Xohm service.
Sprint is currently exhibiting Xohm WiMAX applications and access devices, in addition to providing WiMAX broadband technical demonstrations, at the 2008 International CES show in Las Vegas at Las Vegas Convention Center.
A soft launch of the Xohm mobile Internet service is underway with employees in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington in preparation for the commercial WiMAX service launch later this year in select U.S. cities.
“This platform will allow us to leapfrog our competition to deliver a high-quality, high-performance mobile broadband service,” Mr. West claims. “We feel that we have at least a two-year head start on anything else that would be comparable to Xohm.”