WiMax phone said to be on the way

Sprint and HTC reportedly prepping handset

Sprint could release its WiMax device as early as next week

US carrier Sprint is reportedly preparing to launch a handset intended for use on its WiMax wireless broadband network.

The Wall Street Journal cited anonymous sources in a report saying that the company could introduce the device as soon as next week. The handset is reportedly built by HTC and has been named the "Supersonic".

The report claimed that the handset could hit the market some time this summer.

If the device is in fact released next week, it would be the first handset to utilise the WiMax network. The format is competing with the rival Long Term Evolution (LTE) system for adoption as the successor to the current 3G wireless broadband system.

Sprint is one of the main backers of WiMax. The company operates WiMax networks in a number of test markets in the US and eventually hopes to launch a nation-wide WiMax network.

Meanwhile, the backers of LTE recently announced the results of tests in Europe in which the networks achieved speeds of up to 150Mbit/s.