But that hasn't prevented speculation to swirl about the current state of Sprint's relationship with its cable partners or whether the Pivot marriage will stand the test of time. At the same time, it's questionable whether U.S. cable operators will want to spend the capital necessary to build out a national wireless infrastructure. (See Analyst: MSOs Too Wary Over Wireless.)

    What's more certainis that the MSOs remain in full control of the Advanced Wireless Spectrum they purchased. Whether they will leverage that spectrum for high-speed data services or for some other application remains a mystery, as the operators involved have yet to reveal any details about its specific usage potential.

    MSOs involved in SpectrumCo are "trying to understand the best use for that spectrum," said Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt during Wednesday's call with reporters and analysts. "I don't have anything... to announce about that except that it's very high on our agenda to look at that."

    While no MSO has shown any public interest in doing so, cable might also figure into the bidding for the 700MHz wireless broadband auctions, which will get underway by the end of January 2008. (See FCC Straddles Open Access Issue.)

    In May, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to give cable operators a fair shake at that auction, rejecting concerns that MSOs might simply hoard spectrum won at auction in order to keep it out of competitors' hands. (See Cable Wants In on TV Spectrum Auction .)