First it was the Sprint+Nextel merger that put the WiMAX ready spectrum out of reach, and now we have a situation where one of the most ardent supporters of the technology in the carrier space going straight into the arms of a company which owns a 3G/Wireless network – SBC. I wonder what happens to the AT&T+Intel deal to develop communications chips? A few months ago which conducting a panel for the folks over at the MIT Alumni Association, I sat with some AT&T execs who told me that they were going to seriously contemplate WiMAX because it cuts down their access charges. Well that won’t be much of a problem in a large part of the country. I have a feeling that WiMAX is going to be reduced to the role it was predestined for – backhaul in areas where fiber is too expensive to sink, at least for now.