Sprint indicated this week that it will explore setting up WiMAX wireless broadband networks that it says would complement its forthcoming 3G cellular data network.

The company joined the WiMAX Forum and said in a statement that it is quite interested in exploring WiMAX wireless broadband.

"We are anxious to conduct technical trials as test equipment becomes available, as WiMAX is complementary to Sprint's high-speed communications portfolio," Oliver Valente, Sprint's vice president of technology development, said in a statement. "We are looking at WiMAX solutions for a number of future applications."

Sprint is in the process of rolling out a nationwide 3G 1xEV-DO network. It has said it expects to complete that roll-out by the end of this year.

Ironically, Sprint was an early pioneer in wireless broadband, setting up non-standardized wireless systems in a handful of metropolitan areas based on MMDS technology. Those programs failed, however, and observers claimed that the non-standard nature of the technology and the high cost contributed to that failure.

In a statement, the company said that it has been involved in the development of 802.16 standards, also known as WiMAX, and has particularly been involved in the 802.16e standard, which will provide for mobile WiMAX.