Sprint, Uh, Sprints Towards EV-DO Rev. A

Sprint released its latest quarterly earnings today, which weren't so hot, but in a little more positive news, it also said it was accelerating the rollout of its EV-DO Rev. A network. Rev. A promises faster download and upload speeds than its current EV-DO Rev. O network -- up to 3.1 Mbps peak down and 1.8 Mbps up -- and Sprint says it will roll the service out by the end of the year, with its entire EV-DO network running the new technology by Q3 2007. Sprint also added it will launch data devices in a variety of form factors: in addition to PCMCIA cards, it will sell ExpressCard and USB modems, which could make things a bit more interesting. Sprint has been pretty lenient -- much more so than other operators -- in trying to restrict customers' use of its network, even showing off EV-DO routers it plans to sell. Could Sprint be aiming to offer its service as a fixed broadband replacement, with the added bonus of mobility, ahead of its 4G network?

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