As AT&T and Verizon rage their pointless dispute over which vendor has the most customers – a schoolyard spat that can go either way, depending on how you count the numbers – the most intriguing mobile broadband vendor continues to be Sprint. Despite the “full stop” commitment to WiMAX from Sprint’s CEO, there have been longstanding rumors that Clearwire, Sprint’s partner in developing WiMAX technology, has been considering an LTE option for its WiMAX network. With the updated WiMAX standard not expected to arrive until 2012, and other mobile broadband vendors aggressively, if disingenuously, promoting their LTE networks as 4G, the pressure is certainly on Sprint to offer an interim solution. And if Clearwire suffers any more nationwide WiMAX outages, comes in last in more ISP performance surveys, or doesn’t overcome its debt problems soon, the pressure on Sprint will only increase. Here’s hoping that Sprint maintains its commitment to WiMAX, and that Clearwire resolves its technical and financial problems, even if they decide to roll out an LTE network. The new WiMAX standard has a much higher potential upside than LTE, and promises to offer true 4G service, which may enable Sprint to someday emerge from the shadows of the top two carriers.