There is another underlying business challenge when one looks at the fledgling US WiMAX vs. LTE scene. I know from some folks who were consulting to Sprint on the XOHM development process that there have been lively internal discussions about whether the best course was to provide a dramatically-fast network, without trying to "own the app." Frankly, the fact that ANYONE currently operating a "walled garden" wireless data service in the U.S. would even have the conversation is a good sign.

The incumbent network providers seem to have missed the lesson of the early Internet (I was at one of the earliest and largest ISPs and saw it first hand), namely that markets can and do develop even when one doesn't necessarily control every layer and service with an iron fist. There is a compelling business argument that one can't achieve competitive ARPU numbers without application offerings, but there is precedent that it's not the only way to build a network.

If the new Clearwire can see its way to give an open ecosystem a shot, depending on how well they manage their capital expenditures over time, I don't see any reason that it couldn't fly.