Taiwan-based Zyxel Communications has signed a contract with Spint Nextel in which Zyxel will supply the US telecom service provider with WiMAX CPE (customer premise equipment) products, according to a Zyxel press release.

The WiMAX CPE products, which supports 802.16e Wave 2 standard, will include Zyxel's MAX-100 series PCMCIA cards and the MAX-200 series plug-and-play routers, according to the release.

The MAX-200S router will enable Sprint Nextel to deliver last mile wireless broadband access to customers as an alternative to cable and DSL, Zyxel said.

In addition, Zyxel will join Sprint Nextel's WiMAX ecosystem partners in helping incorporate mobile WiMAX technology in a range of computing, portable multimedia, interactive and other business and consumer devices, Zyxel stated.

Sprint Nextel is developing a large-scale, advanced wireless broadband network designed to mobilize the Internet, bring wireless innovation to devices and deliver new multimedia mobile applications to customers, Zyxel noted in the release.

Sprint Nextel is expected to spend approximately US$5 billion to build up its WiMAX broadband network and service through 2010, the company said on an August 16 press release.