Reston, Va. - Completing a deal seven months in the making, Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) said on Monday that it has officially merged its new high-speed wireless network with a similar network from Kirkland, Wash.-based Clearwire.

The resulting $14.6 billion company, which will retain the name Clearwire, will focus on deploying the first nationwide mobile WiMAX network, which promises wireless speeds comparable to those of broadband.

The name of the network, which has been tested in Baltimore for several weeks, will be changed from "Xohm" to "Clear" over the coming months, Clearwire said.

The companies previously announced they had landed $3.2 billion in investments toward the project from Intel Capital, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. The merger was first announced in May.

"This is not simply about a time-to-market advantage, but about having an amazing block of spectrum that is unencumbered by legacy commercial uses and technology," said Craig McCaw, the chairman of Clearwire, who previously helped build local wireless companies Nextel and XO Communications.

"It is a chance to do something right the first time."

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