This is a significant event in the industry. Watch out for more movement in this space. Sprint looks smart for its decision to pursue WiMAX now.

The International Telecommunication Union agreed to include WiMAX technology in the global family of advanced wireless technologies. The win is a major victory for vendors and service providers on the eve of the World Radiocommunication Conference that the Bush administration hopes to build on during the next four weeks in Geneva.

“Including WiMAX in the IMT [International Mobile Telecommunications] category sets the stage for the WRC to consider the future spectrum availability for further generations of broadband mobile services,” said Ambassador Richard Russell, associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and head of the U.S. delegation. “The industry often refers to these over-the-horizon networks as ‘4G’ systems, many of which promise landline broadband download speeds and high bandwidth to mobile handsets and laptops.”