Sprint (NYSE: S) will turn on its WiMax network in Chicago and Baltimore-Washington, DC, before the end of the week, according to Telephony. The launches will initially cover the cities’ downtown areas, but Sprint says coverage will expand quickly, and will be based on existing cellular data usage patterns. The networks will initially only be used by Sprint employees, but the company will launch customer trials sometime in the first quarter, ahead of a full commercial launch sometime in Q2. Only laptop cards will be supported at first, with Sprint supporting other types of mobile devices as they become available.

SEE ALSO: @ UBS Media Week: Sprint Emphasizes Customer Retention And New WiMax/XOHM Focus In ‘08

A spokesman said Sprint is continuing with its announced build-out of the network, which will go by the brand name XOHM, and expects it to cover 100 million people by the end of 2008, and says it expects its networks in Texas cities to go live in the first quarter of 2008.