The vision of Clearwire (CLWR) is definitely ambitious: to "give you faster Internet at home, at work and on the go, so that people everywhere will have the magic of the Internet with them all the time." This means building a sophisticated network across the country, which does not come cheap.

Tuesday, Clearwire announced yet another financing round, which comes to $1.56 billion. The investors include Sprint Nextel (S), Comcast (CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (TWC), Intel (INTC), Eagle River Holdings LLC, and Bright House Networks LLC.

Clearwire Corp.'s (NASDAQ: CLWR) may be able to relieve some pressure on Sprint Nextel Corp.'s (NYSE: S) national wireless network, according to Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. Although Sprint's existing 3G network is touted to be one of the most reliable in the U.S., moving customers to a more efficient and faster 4G network -- like the ones Clearwire continues to launch -- de-stresses Sprint's existing network.

Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD), will begin to build its 4G network in the U.S. The faster wireless operation is meant to compete with technologies like WiMAX, which Sprint (NYSE: S) may deploy.

The new platform will be built using pieces supplied by Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and others. Technology from Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), which has been the core of much of the 2G build-out, will be missing. The FT writes that "Qualcomm and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) were dealt a blow on Thursday when Verizon Wireless, the second-largest U.S. mobile phone operator, said it would start trials in 2008 of a rival fourth-generation network standard." Intel has been a champion of WiMAX.

The sun is setting on Qualcomm. It has been in intellectual property disputes with Nokia and chip rival Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM), and has lost the early rounds in most of these. If the company is passed by for the next generation of cellular technology, it could end up a smaller, marginal company.

Qualcomm has not been a growth stock for over a year. And it may never be one again.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE:S), which is charging full-steam ahead on the 4G wireless front with WiMAX technology, is using Zyxel Communications of Taiwan as its primary vendor for equipment needed to bring broadband Internet into customers' homes and businesses.

This is an important contract for the Reston, Va-based telecom company which is counting WiMAX technology to give it an edge with mobile products like wireless handsets with lightning-fast broadband speeds, Sprint also need to compete with the cable modem and DSL industry to reach fixed-location customers with broadband Internet services. Zyxel's products will be central in that effort.

But a difference here is that Zyxel's products are already mobile. Unlike a cable modem or DSL modem, WiMAX is meant to be mobile. Imagine being able to unplug that small USB WiMAX modem from your desktop PC and take it for use with you anywhere in the U.S. where Sprint's WiMAX service will be available. That is a very distinct competitive advantage that cable and DSL operators can't touch. Although Laptop PCs are outselling desktop PCs, there is still a need for mobile broadband with those millions of clunky but powerful computers small and large offices -- and homes.