KANSAS CITY (WiMAX Day). Sprint Nextel has reached a settlement with Clearwire in a lawsuit Sprint made in July that alleged “tortuous interference and conspiracy” against Sprint by Clearwire. Sprint accused Clearwire of surreptitiously acquiring rights to wireless spectrum in Seattle, Washington, for which Sprint held a long-term lease that gave it a right of first refusal on any sale. Documents in the lawsuit show a letter from Clearwire to Sprint dated October 5, 2005 that acknowledged an agreement by Sprint not to use its leased spectrum in Seattle so that it would not interfere with Clearwire. Later, Sprint discovered in documents that Clearwire filed with the SEC, prior to its IPO, that Clearwire acquired 49% of the Seattle spectrum on October 10, 2005. Teresa Fausti-Blatt, a spokeswoman for Clearwire, told the Puget Sound Business Journal in August “Clearwire conducts appropriate and ethical business practices.” Concerning the lawsuit, Fausti-Blatt added that Clearwire believes “the claims … and the pending litigation are unfounded.” As the largest owners of 2.5 GHz spectrum in America rush to carve up the country for the deployment of WiMAX, the Judge appointed to rule on the case allowed Sprint and Clearwire 150 days to resolve the dispute.