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Clearwire and Sprint (S: Charts, News, Offers) are both companies which haven’t been doing so well in the recent past. Both focus on wireless communication networks, Sprint as a major cellular phone network, and Clearwire as a distributor of broadband internet services.¹

Sprint and Clearwire are in discussions with Comcast and Time Warner Cable about a nationwide wireless WiMax network. The plan would involve funding from the two cable companies, but the network would be run by Sprint and Clearwire.²

The plan would be to combine Sprint’s WiMax unit with Clearwire’s WiMax network and build a nationwide mobile broadband network—to be shared by Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Clearwire, Comcast and Sprint (NYSE: S). The investors would be Intel and Google, which want a next-generation network to sell its own products.³

The Clearwire trial service competes with mobile cellular offerings. Verizon Wireless, for example, offers a PC card for mobile data access for $60 per month with an average download speed of 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps.⁴

The plan would be to combine Sprint’s WiMax unit with Clearwire’s WiMax network and build a nationwide mobile broadband network?to be shared by Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Clearwire, Comcast and Sprint (NYSE: S). The investors would be Intel and Google, which want a next-generation network to sell its own products.⁵

Google and Intel, in particular, seem like a perfect fit to fund the joint venture. Intel has already poured $600 million into Clearwire, and Google has already announced plans to offer a customized Internet portal for Sprint’s WiMAX network called Xohm.⁶