Person close to talks: Sprint close to WiMax financing deal

Intel has been heavily involved in developing WiMax and will be making WiMax chips for computers, set-top boxes and cell phones. Google will provide its search function.

Unlike the cable companies' previous wireless deal with Sprint, which led to co-branded cell phones in a plan called "Pivot," the WiMax collaboration will give cable control over marketing and operations. This control was missing in Pivot, which cable companies said helped hasten its demise.

Sprint's adoption of WiMax was championed by former Chief Executive Gary Forsee. His departure, and Sprint's poor financial performance, spurred the need to find investors. The cost of its WiMax buildout was estimated at more than $5 billion over the next several years, said Phil Redman, research vice president at Gartner Inc.

Clearwire Corp. already provides wireless Internet service in some parts of the country, using a WiMax-like technology.