Clearwire ends 2009 on a positive note, looks forward to 2010
Sprint/Clearwire has enjoyed the bounty of being the largest 4G carrier in the US in 2009. The Kirkland, Washington based company has expanded its Clear WiMAX service from a mere 2 to 27 total markets in 2009 and is offering 4-6Mbps broadband wireless connectivity in five major cities including Baltimore, Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta and Portland, Oregon. The road has been bumpy for Clear with widely reported network problems and other growing pains plaguing the company as it builds out its fledgling WiMAX infrastructure. Despite setbacks and delays, Clear’s WiMAX service has attracted 173,000 customers by the end of Q3 2009 and its subscriber base is expected to increase as it continues to roll out service in the fourth quarter of 2009. Fueling this growth is a healthy amount of capital that will allow Clear to expand WiMAX to 120 million customers by the end of 2010. That is the status of their network, hit the jump to see what Clear has in store for devices in 2010.
Growth in subscribership and service expansion are good but its the mobile connectivity hardware that will bring people in and that is where the company will see improvement in 2010. Clear currently offers a range of modems, routers and personal hotspots and will soon be adding the upcoming dual 3G/4G mobile hotspot from Sierra Wireless. Integrated WiMAX, present on many laptops in 2009, will continue to be an option on several laptop models made by Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, Toshiba and Fujitsu. Now that Clear has an established portfolio of WiMAX data cards and modems, it is time for Clear to focus on the catgegory of pocketable, stand alone mobile devices, an area in which Clear needs some major improvement in 2010. Currently, Clear offers a single mobile device, the Windows Mobile 6.1 powered Samsung Mondi, a rather unexciting device. This blaise portoflio of one is expected to expand in 2010, according to Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow, who said that WiMAX-enabled smartphones are expected to start arriving by mid 2010. With Sprint, Microsoft, and LG planning some big shindig on January 6th to kick off CES 2010, we will hopefully see at least one new WiMAX enabled smartphone arise out of that event. Efforts are also underway to bring Android to WiMAX – an initiative being spearheaded by Beceem, the leading supplier of chips for WiMAX devices, in conjunction with VoIP developer D2 and WiMAX hardware manufacturer ECS EliteGroup. Last but not least, we can’t forget about HTC which already has the Max 4G, a dual GSM/WiMAX smartphone on Russia’s Yota network. If any or all of these companies can bring new mobile devices to Clear’s WiMAX service, then Clear will have a nice jump on its competition, offering sleek new handsets while future LTE providers are still building out their networks. The first step in this direction for Sprint/Clear may start as early as next week, let’s hope they can deliver something that will wow us and make us excited about the now of WiMAX instead of the future of LTE.
[Via ComputerWorld]
So we are all in agreeemnt Miguel and Mitch both provide pointless posts. Reading what they consider “proof that lte is superior” is like watching the Southpark youtube episode where everyone is claiming how much they are worth in “theoretical” dollars… You can not argue a technology that is non-existant against a technology that exists and the ieee hasen’t even ratified the final 802.16m standard.. they are building it currently off of 802.16e with enhancements to allow mobility… This is were the speed limitations come into effect… While LTE still hasen’t even been totally ratified to the point they can take it off the drawing board and implement it in a real world scenerio… Just let them go on with their bashing an “actual” technology by pinning it against a “theoretical” technology.. I guess this is how they convince themselves that their manhood is “theoretically” bigger then what “actually” exists
This comment has been seriously disliked. Click here to see.
Disliked.
-13
Yeah I’ll admit that LTE has more compatible handsets out in the market. Oh wait, there is none. Stop stating the obvious.
Liked.
+6
Again-
HTC Max4G
And on the device front-
U300, U301, Overdrive, Motorola Desktop Modem, and several dozen Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus, and Toshiba laptops.
You ready to provide a list of LTE devices?
Liked.
+6
Do you even know how wimax works or do you just like making ignorant comments that you pull from your ass?
Hotly Discussed
+4
HTC Max4G
And on the device front-
U300, U301, Overdrive, Motorola Desktop Modem, and several dozen Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus, and Toshiba laptops.
You ready to provide a list of LTE devices?
Liked.
+8
You did’nt explain to me what Wimax is and how it works. You are a freaking joke. You babble on hoping that you sound intelligent.. Why dont you go comment on TMZ.com or some other brainless website.
Liked.
+11
?????.. Once again, nothing but babble. What a joke!
Liked.
+8
I’m not at all advocating superiority, I believe you are advocating that LTE, despite it not being available, is somehow superior to Wimax which can be used today.
Again- list some LTE devices for me.
Liked.
+5
Ahh so you’re saying LTE isn’t superior to Wimax then?
And I never said you could get the Max4G for Sprint, you asked for “a list of phones currently compatible with WiMAX” which I provided in addition to a list of Sprint’s 4G devices.
So I provided with you what you requested, and now that we’ve cleared up that LTE and Wimax are on equal footing, would you mind providing a list of LTE enabled devices along similar lines?
Seriously BGR, ban this troll.
Liked.
+18
where exactly did i say my life more meaningful as a result? i live in dallas and bc my apt complex sucks, my only option was DSL. Clear is faster and I can take it with me.
what LTE do for me today?
miguel you are clearly a moron and a ATT or VZW shill.
Liked.
+17
Actually, I have a better idea. Boy Genius, since you are very familiar with Engadget’s site (obviously), why not adopt the “obliteration” policy they use? I’m not advocating censorship; as you know, all posts are readily available. You just don’t see the obliterated posts unless you actively open them. The beauty of this policy is it destroys the incentive of certain individuals to attract attention to themselves by means of “less than constructive” behavior.
I’m not targeting Mr. Alvarez here. I can’t because I WAS behaving just like him. Quite recently, I did a little self-evaluation and was appalled by my own willingness to trample others’ thoughts and feelings. I’m too old to behave myself like a punk, and I’m ashamed of myself for belittling other posters to make myself feel superior.
To those I’ve offended, I can only ask you to accept my sincere apologies for being an immature ass.
Liked.
+8
actually we do have 4G internet and last time i checked it’s not just on paper. I also remeber the fact that no one other cellphone company in the U.S. is offering any 4G services at all. Sprint 1 Verizon 0
Liked.
+6
You are crazy if you can convince yourself that verizon will have 30 markets by mid 2010. First off, and most important, they have no LTE ANYTHING!!! How can you say some that DOESN’T exist can spread. It’s like multiplying a number by zero. You’ll always get the same answer, NOTHING
I don’t understand how Verizon having LTE in “30 markets minimum” 6-12 months from now is their advantage but Sprint already having 30 Wimax markets is a disadvantage…
The point is Wimax both in the US (30 markets vs. 0 for LTE) and worldwide (deployments in 84 countries vs. 0 for LTE (assuming you don’t count the 1 test market in Sweden) is wayyyy ahead.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deployed_WiMAX_networks
you will do anything to make you and verizon seem amazing. Well, tough for you then because sprint has the stage. The net result i have with WiMAX? Umm how about the fact i can use it, and it works and fast at that. I like that question
Liked.
+5
I DID answer it right above you, I can’t do anything if you won’t (or can’t) read it.
And speaking of answering questions, where are the answers to my questions? Pretty convenient to insist others respond to your tirades but then when you’re on the hook, you conveniently miss the questions.
Thanks for proving my point: You refuse to answer my questions because you don’t like the answers. And you are incapable of conducting a discussion without berating, insulting, or cursing your audience.
Isn’t having bragging rights on a blog just as cool as being an obnoxious ass to everyone on a blog and acting holier than thou?
Give it up Miguel. Your obiously not intelligent and at this point your just annoying. I stopped posting on this topic because i knew you would just babble endlessley until you thought you had made a point and then you resort to calling everyone names. Do everyone a favor and F off!
Oh and my source for the “fastest network” claim-
http://gizmodo.com/5174718/exclusive-wimax-uncapped-speed-tests
The benefits of Sprint’s 4G are:
-Fastest network in the US today, period.
-Latency reduced by 1/4th vs. EVDO/HSPA 3G
-No bandwidth cap (i.e. no 5GB cap)
-Costs the same as Att and Verizon 3G
No one has any timelines for “97%” coverage. What we do have is Verizon saying they plan on achieving 1:1 coverage with LTE vs. their CDMA network in 2013. http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/business/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220200106 That’s a long time away. I know for sure that Sprint will have 120 million (50%) covered by the end of this year- http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/160800/clearwire_aims_to_reach_120_million_in_2010.html
Now, I assume you will also answer my questions or you admit that you are the “coward”.
-List some LTE devices for me?
-What benefit is there in continuing to pay for slower 3G if you live in an area with Sprint’s 4G coverage?
-How does it make sense to cite Verizon’s 30 LTE markets in 6 months as an advantage, while also proclaiming Sprint’s 30 markets at the end of last year as a disadvantage?
Try to be civil for once Miguel, and I expect cited sources from you as well.
Of course you did’nt offer to make a list because you could’nt! Because Verizon does’nt have anything! Tangible benefits are that i am currently downloading and uploading at higher speeds, i can access the interenet anywhere, and I can do all this now!!! Tool!
So when you ask questions people have to answer them, but when others ask them you have to “offer” to answer them.
…right…
And I love how you repeatedly ignore the rest of the benefits I answered besides it’s here today like:
-Latency reduced by 1/4th vs. EVDO/HSPA 3G
-No bandwidth cap (i.e. no 5GB cap)
-Costs the same as Att and Verizon 3G
You speak of other’s reading comprehension; maybe you should evaluate your own.
My_bad_Miguel. Does_typing_like _this_make _you_more_intelligent_? And yes my data calls sound great and because i can also have unified communications makes it even better.
Hey Coco, were the trolls and this guy keeps coming back to this Sprint topic to post. He’s such a joke and no one on this entire site respects what he has to say. Apparently he really wants a Russian 4G handset and no on can provide it for him