J.P. Morgan: Sprint Has Options Beyond Clearwire (S, CLWR)

In a report focusing on Clearwire Corporation

and Sprint

, J.P. Morgan said that Sprint's stated 4G strategy is to use WiMAX via its ownership in Clearwire. “However, we believe the company has several options at its disposal,” J.P. Morgan writes. “One option, which we expect Sprint to pursue, is to deploy LTE on its own modernized network as it evolves over the next three years. Sprint would continue leveraging Clearwire's current 4G WiMAX network for the medium term, but it seems hard to justify additional rounds of funding at this time. In this note we analyze three different paths Sprint could take to solidify its 4G plans. “In addition, we believe network sharing deals with other carriers are possible, which could also become wholesale partners.” Clearwire Corporation closed Wednesday at $4.90; Sprint closed at $4.20.