Court orders Sprint to continue WiMAX network for 90 days

A Massachusetts judge has ordered Sprint to continue its WiMAX mobile network in certain areas for another 90 days.

CNN Money reported that a Massachusetts state court gave a preliminary injunction after Mobile Beacon and Mobile Citizen moved against Sprint's planned closure. The two non-profit Internet access providers depend on the network to provide affordable Internet access to various establishments in the community. The shut down of Sprint means 300,000 people will lose their Internet connections. The 90-day extension will give them more time to prepare and shift to Sprint's LTE Network, which is faster and more widely available compared to the older WiMAX technology.

The Kansas City Star reported that Sprint announced its plans to close its WiMAX services Friday. The Overland Park-based tech company said that the non-profit groups that sued simply had a contract dispute with them, while other companies have smoothly transitioned to LTE. Sprint spokeswoman said they disagreed with the ruling, but would still delay the shut down in areas where Mobile Beacon and Mobile Citizen Customers would be affected.

"We plan to continue to protect our rights in this contract dispute and expect to prevail on the merits. This contract dispute and the decision do not affect our retail customers," said the spokeswoman.

According to PC World, the WiMAX technology is considered the first true 4G network in America. However, it fell off the grid when other carriers opted for LTE. Clearwire built and operated it and Sprint was its major wholesale customer. The two companies didn't get along well, prompting Sprint to buy Clearwire in 2013. Sprint resolved to go for LTE and announced last year that it would close its WiMAX system on November 6.

According to Sprint, the dispute will not affect its business with its retail customers, since only a few of them still use WiMAX. Also, almost all of those users use dual-mode devices that allow them to fall back on the 3G network.