Clearwire Archive

  • Sprint ships dual-model 3G / 4G 250U USB WWAN modem, invites Mac to the party

    Sprint ships dual-model 3G / 4G 250U USB WWAN modem, invites Mac to the party

    Posted on June 22, 2010 | No Comments
    Remember that cute-as-a-button 3G / 4G dual-mode WWAN stick that Clearwire outed a few days back? That little guy just made its way over to the Sprint side of things, giving folks yet another option when it comes time to pull the trigger on a device to get you onto the WiMAX superhighway. The Sierra Wireless-built 250U is available now through Business Direct and Business Solutions Partners followed by full channel availability by mid-July, with this bugger being the first in Sprint's arsenal to offer native dual-mode support in OS X as well as twin antenna ports. Naturally, Windows machines are also compatible, and the minuscule design sure makes it more attractive than those prone-to-snapping alternatives. It's available for precisely nothing so long as you sign a two-year data plan.

    Continue reading Sprint ships dual-model 3G / 4G 250U USB WWAN modem, invites Mac to the party

    Sprint ships dual-model 3G / 4G 250U USB WWAN modem, invites Mac to the party originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem

    Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem

    Posted on June 17, 2010 | No Comments
    Lookin' for yet another avenue to hop on the 4G superhighway? Fret not, as Clearwire has just doled out a trio of new products intended to help you do just that. Prior to today, you had only a smattering of options to actually tap into Clear's WiMAX network, but the Clear Spot 4G (WiMAX only), Clear Spot 4G+ (dual-mode with 3G / 4G support) and Clear 4G+ Mobile USB stick have all arrived to give choosy moms more choices. The prior two are simply mobile broadband hotspots (think MiFi, but for 4G), with the 4G+ offering support for Sprint's 3G network if you happen to leave one of those few WiMAX zones already lit. The USB stick is particularly interesting, as it's the first dual-mode device hawked by Clear that's fully compatible with Apple OS X. The Clear Spot 4G will be made by InfoMark and available to purchase for $99.99 next month; those who hate committing can also lease one for $4.99 per month. The Sierra Wireless-built Spot 4G+ (a rebadged Overdrive; shown left) demands a hefty premium for that 3G support, with an MSRP of $224.99 (or least for $5.99 per month) and a similar July ship date. The 4G+ Mobile USB stick (shown right) will support OS X 10.5.x and 10.6.x (along with Windows, of course), and can be snapped up today for $114.99 or leased monthly for $5.99. Head on past the break if you're thirsty for more.

    Continue reading Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem

    Clearwire intros new WiMAX mobile hotspots, Mac-friendly 3G / 4G USB WWAN modem originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • Sprint’s WiMAX service teases EVO 4G-toting New Yorkers (update: LA and SF, too)

    Sprint’s WiMAX service teases EVO 4G-toting New Yorkers (update: LA and SF, too)

    Posted on June 16, 2010 | No Comments
    We'd figured that Sprint and partner Clearwire were going to have a devil of a time rolling out WiMAX this year in New York City; urban canyons are always tricky, of course, but their oddball 2500MHz spectrum allocation isn't the best at penetrating buildings and other structures, either. On that note, we'd been tipped earlier this week that a reader was seeing some weak WiMAX reception for the first time on his EVO 4G near Coney Island (see a shot after the break), and now, we've been able to independently confirm it on one of our own units -- in saturated Midtown, no less -- though we weren't able to do much with it beyond get a notification that a "4G network is available." Clearly this isn't ready for primetime use, but it's a good sign that these guys have officially started lighting up a few cells here and there. 1080p streaming, anyone?

    [Thanks, r0ckstar_23]

    Update:     We're getting tipped that folks are seeing some occasional 4G action in LA and San Francisco, so keep a close eye on those EVOs!

    Continue reading Sprint's WiMAX service teases EVO 4G-toting New Yorkers (update: LA and SF, too)

    Sprint's WiMAX service teases EVO 4G-toting New Yorkers (update: LA and SF, too) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • Clearwire sticking with WiMAX until at least 2012

    Clearwire sticking with WiMAX until at least 2012

    Posted on May 10, 2010 | No Comments
    Clearwire always seems to have commitment issue. Despite going steady with WiMAX, the company keeps saying that they might eventually part ways for different pastures -- namely LTE, should WiMAX turn out to be a dead end (talk about relationship pressure). That's still ongoing, as CEO Bill Morrow recently explained to CNET that its contract with Intel has been amended so that "either party can terminate the technology agreement within 30 days" but later adding that it definitely wouldn't hop on the LTE bandwagon before 2012. He strikes down some false hope a question later: "we won't be upgrading to LTE, if we do that, for a long time." Granted, time is a relative construct, and two years may be a "long time" to Bill. Oh, why do you keep stringing 'em both along?

    Clearwire sticking with WiMAX until at least 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 May 2010 21:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • Clearwire promises Clear-branded HTC and Samsung WiMAX phones this year

    Clearwire promises Clear-branded HTC and Samsung WiMAX phones this year

    Posted on May 5, 2010 | No Comments
    Without going into much detail, Clearwire mentioned on its first quarter earnings call today that WiMAX-capable phones bearing the Clear name from both Samsung and HTC are "expected" to be available before 2010's out, which is a pretty optimistic affirmation of comments the company made earlier this year. It describes the Sammy as "an Android-based 3G/4G/WiFi device optimized for heavy video and video communications use," while the HTC's language leaves out the platform -- it's just called "a 3G/4G/WiFi enabled phone," leading us to believe that this puppy could very well be running Windows Phone 7. If that's the case, we can understand why HTC wouldn't want Clearwire spilling the beans since they've yet to officially announce any plans for jumping into the WinPho 7 game. In fact, Clearwire went so far as to say on the call that the HTC device would not be the EVO 4G, so yeah, we can totally buy that there's some Microsoft action going on behind the scenes here.

    As for Clearwire's health, it has seen a 94 percent year-over-year boost in total WiMAX subscribers for a total just shy of a million -- and interestingly, the overwhelming majority of those are retail, not wholesale, meaning that folks are running Clear-branded equipment. We expect that to change dramatically once Sprint's Overdrive gets a little more penetration and the EVO comes into play, but for now, some 814,000 customers are familiar with the Clear logo. They lost a hair over $94 million in the quarter, but hey, in the scheme of things, that's peanuts -- building out networks isn't a cheap endeavor, after all.

    Clearwire promises Clear-branded HTC and Samsung WiMAX phones this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • Nearly two million mobile WiMAX subscribers worldwide by year’s end, most eyeing LTE suspiciously

    Nearly two million mobile WiMAX subscribers worldwide by year’s end, most eyeing LTE suspiciously

    Posted on December 4, 2009 | No Comments
    The folks at ABI Research have done up a nice summary of the status of mobile WiMAX globally, saying that they expect the total number of subscribers to be at around two million come January. Overall it's not the most optimistic picture, with many service rollouts falling short of their projected aims both in availability and in subscribers, South Korea's numbers "stagnant," and LTE breathing down everybody's necks -- particularly in the US and Japan. Still, there are some notable bright spots, most particularly Russia's Yota service, which broke 200,000 subscribers last month after five months of commercial operation, and which is also flirting with profitability at this early stage. Clearwire is the other main shining light, with "more-than-adequate funding" allowing for an increased pace of deployment. It's hard to say just exactly what sort of market share we should expect from WiMAX in the long run, but after the painful eons of CDMA vs. GSM, we really are rooting for one of these 4G technologies win decisively over the other.

    Nearly two million mobile WiMAX subscribers worldwide by year's end, most eyeing LTE suspiciously originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • T-Mobile USA putting out feelers for network partnerships?

    T-Mobile USA putting out feelers for network partnerships?

    Posted on November 20, 2009 | No Comments
    Deutsche Telekom has made little secret this year of the fact that its American wireless unit is on thin ice; whether that's a result of poor coverage, a failure to keep pace technologically, weak spectrum allocation, or a combination thereof is a source of endless debate, but none of it is stopping T-Mobile USA from pushing forward aggressively with a nationwide 21Mbps HSPA+ rollout in 2010. Of course, network buildouts of that magnitude don't come cheap, and hungry investors are still marching on DT's doorstep asking when they might be able to expect black ink. A couple loose-lipped tipsters to German paper Handelsblatt have said that the next step could very well involve a major partnership with another carrier -- as opposed to an outright acquisition like we've heard before -- possibly with Clearwire, MetroPCS, or AT&T. T-Mobile USA has been famously tight-lipped so far on its 4G plans, instead concentrating on building out a solid 3.75G one, which means that its long-term plans are wide open -- partnering with Clearwire would likely mean aligning itself with WiMAX, while both MetroPCS and AT&T have already committed to LTE. Another possibility apparently being thrown around involves bringing in a financial partner (a sugar daddy, if you will) to shore up the carrier's bottom line, but either way, we suspect this'll all end up deciding the carrier's post-21Mbps strategy.

    T-Mobile USA putting out feelers for network partnerships? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • Clearwire raises an additional $1.5B to continue building its nationwide WiMAX network

    Clearwire raises an additional $1.5B to continue building its nationwide WiMAX network

    Posted on November 10, 2009 | No Comments
    Sprint, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks (to name a few) continue to bet big on Clearwire’s WiMAX nationwide wireless network. The foursome have just pumped an additional $1.494 billion into Clearwire’s coffer, with another $50 million coming from Intel and $20 million from Eagle River Holdings. CHA-CHING. More specifically, Sprint, which owns 51 [...]

    Full Story

  • Clearwire and Sprint slinging WiMAX to NC, HI and TX in November / December

    Clearwire and Sprint slinging WiMAX to NC, HI and TX in November / December

    Posted on October 23, 2009 | No Comments

    Filed under: ,

    We knew Clearwire would be snaking its 4G services to select markets in North Carolina, Hawaii and Texas before the year's end, but it's always reassuring to hear a corporation come right out and affirm that those leaked dates are still solid. What's interesting about the latest announcement is that both Clearwire and Sprint will be offering 4G in these same cities under their own brands, even though the signals and towers used will be the same. Starting next month, WiMAX will officially land in Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina (Charlotte is already lit up, despite these companies' claims) and Austin; Dallas/Fort Worth; San Antonio, Texas. In December, the companies will get things fired up in Honolulu and Maui, two areas where we're certain techs from Sprint / Clearwire are more than eager to go "test things out." So, now that this has all panned out, how's about another leak sheet for 2010 rollouts?

    Clearwire and Sprint slinging WiMAX to NC, HI and TX in November / December originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • Clearwire’s WiMAX continues to spread its wings, enters 10 new markets

    Clearwire’s WiMAX continues to spread its wings, enters 10 new markets

    Posted on September 2, 2009 | No Comments
    Yesterday, Clearwire announced the expansion of its CLEAR 4G WiMAX Internet Service to 10 new markets, bringing the total number of markets served up to 14 with coverage for over 10 million users. This is good news for all the WiMAX fanboys and girls out there, and especially for those who reside in the Lone Star [...]

    Full Story