Baltimore's WiMax Network an Early Winner

BALTIMORE -- Forget about 3G -- that's the past.

It's now time to consider 4G wireless networks, especially the kind announced here on Wednesday.

Sprint(S Quote) and partners Intel(INTC Quote), Samsung, Motorola(MOT Quote), Nokia(NOK Quote), Nokia Siemens Networks, ZTE and ZyXEL, along with computer makers Acer, Asus, Dell(DELL Quote), Lenovo, Panasonic, Sony(SNE Quote) and Toshiba, officially inaugurated the world's first 4G network called Xohm (pronounced Zome). It runs on a new technology called WiMax.

The event was self-congratulatory, with a lot of patting each other on the back and saying how amazing it was to get a 4G network up and running before anyone else could. ...