Sprint Nextel has dropped out of a consortium with cable companies created to bid on wireless spectrum. A news report or two this week erroneously confused that venture with the company’s other cable JV. Be clear: Sprint’s spectrum decision has nothing to do with and does not affect Pivot, the mobile telephone service offered through a separate joint venture with several cable companies, including Cox.

Jeff Baumgartner reported (correctly) on the spectrum announcement in Light Reading’s Cable Digital News :

Sprint's involvement in SpectrumCo has been limited from the get-go. It did not participate in the auction, but did serve as a member of the bidding consortium. It held a non-voting 5 percent equity stake at the time the SpectrumCo partnership was formed. Sprint's withdrawal will allow it to recoup its investment. Sprint said it is withdrawing from the spectrum consortium so that it can focus on "primary strategic initiatives" with the cable industry, which includes the "Pivot" cellular service joint venture with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, and Bright House…. "This action has been long-planned and the withdrawal from participation in SpectrumCo does not reflect a change in strategy or focus," the company said in an emailed statement. "Sprint Nextel and its cable partners remain committed to their current initiatives, including Pivot."