Sprint wouldn't mind if T-Mobile bought 4G spectrum from Clearwire

Considering Sprint's heavy investment in Clearwire -- and the fact that it shares its WiMAX network with the company -- you can understand why it might be a little weary of letting other carriers in on the spectrum. That said, a Goldman Sachs analyst that apparently met with Sprint execs this week has said that they "have encouraged" a wholesale spectrum deal that would bring cash in from T-Mobile USA -- a company that has yet to settle on a next-gen network strategy beyond HSPA+ -- though it would ultimately depend on the price. Considering Clearwire's somewhat bleak financial picture, it seems likely that Sprint's looking at this as a do-or-die situation -- it isn't necessarily interested in dumping cash into the company by itself ad nauseam, but if it allows the company to falter, that could have unsavory consequences on Sprint's own 4G ambitions. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.