IT Pro's Stephen Pritchard reports today that Macropolitan and Alcatel-Lucent have joined together to provide nationwide WiMax coverage throughout the U.K.

"Antennae on the roofs of hotels, offices and even gyms could hold the key to creating a nationwide wimax network for the UK, according to transmission site developer Macropolitan," Pritchard writes. "The company has signed a deal with Alcatel-Lucent to provide access to its 8,900 antennae sites across the UK. According to the companies, the idea is to provide an operator with a turnkey service that could be rolled out without the need to set up equipment, acquire sites or even obtain planning consent."

"A deal like this certainly pushes forward the case for WiMax," says Quocirca analyst Rob Bamforth.

More here from ComputerWeekly ... and the press release is here.