Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) today demonstrated key technologies and described operational plans to provide unique new services to meet the growing demand for mobile communications during the Sprint Ahead Technology Summit.

The company detailed the expected capabilities and customer benefits of its planned WiMAX services and also announced its market branding for these services. In a separate release today, the company provided an update on its progress in delivering high-performance push-to-talk service, Nextel Direct Connect, on its CDMA network platform.

Sprint Nextel also provided Technology Summit attendees a first-hand user experience with its Pivot bundled services. Pivot features Sprint wireless services as part of a packaged service offering from joint venture partner cable companies. Additionally, the company showcased a variety of other technologies that are designed to leverage the company’s unique portfolio of spectrum, wireless and wireline assets to allow customers to communicate anytime, anywhere.

“We’ve executed the technology plan we laid out when we merged two years ago, and, in doing so, we have advanced our vision of becoming the mobility services leader,” said Gary Forsee, Sprint Chairman and CEO. “Our unique set of assets allows consumers to live the mobile lifestyle and businesses to increase productivity by making any place a workplace. Sprint is best positioned in the marketplace to offer these capabilities.”

Sprint announced today that its WiMAX service will be marketed under the XOHMTM ingredient brand (pronounced ZOAM). A soft launch of the WiMAX network is expected by the end of 2007 in the Chicago and Baltimore/Washington markets. XOHM commercial services are expected to be available beginning in the first half of 2008.

Barry West, President of 4G Mobile Broadband and Sprint’s Chief Technology Officer, noted that XOHM is expected to mobilize the Internet by driving the convergence of telecommunications, consumer electronics and the computer industries. WiMAX service is being designed to create synergies among disparate industries through an ecosystem of chipsets, devices, networks, services/content and distribution to deliver broadband with speeds up to five times faster than current third-generation wireless devices. West said that ecosystem partners have committed to embed 50 million WiMAX chipsets in devices.