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My resolution: be the consumer-focused innovator

Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse talks about how AT&T’s attempted acquisition of T-Mobile set off all sorts of alarms, and made him realize just how tenuous the competitive situation in the U.S. wireless industry is. Read More »

Sprint is moving ahead with its LTE 4G plans and said it expects to upgrade to LTE-Advanced in the first half of 2013. The third-place carrier will deploy LTE-Advanced Release 10 in a 10×10 configuration, achieving downloads speeds of 12-15 Mbps. Read More »

 
 

One of Sprint’s only marketing advantages was its promise of unlimited 4G broadband. But that distinction is fading fast. Today, the carrier announced it was doing away with unlimited 4G mobile broadband for hotspots and devices and was instead instituting three new tiered data plans. … Read More »

4G provider Clearwire’s stock fell 32 percent to $1.39 Friday following an announcement by Sprint Friday that it was launching an LTE network without the help of Clearwire, throwing into doubt its role in Sprint’s 4G future. The news raises more concerns about Clearwire’s future. Read More »

Sprint is launching an aggressive campaign to rollout a 4G network based on LTE that will cover more than 250 million people by the end of 2013. The third-place carrier said it will move quickly to reuse its 1900 MHz and 800 MHz spectrum for LTE. Read More »

Sprint reported record low churn rates and its highest average revenue per user yet, but lost $847 million. Why? Although 1.1 million new subscribers were added, all were from wholesale and pre-paid customers. Postpaid subscriber numbers may turn around in the future though, thanks to LTE. Read More »

Clearwire has resolved its wholesale agreement dispute with Sprint, signing a deal that calls for Sprint to pay Clearwire about $1 billion over the next two years. The deal removes some uncertainty for struggling Clearwire and helps forge a stronger bond with Sprint, its majority owner. Read More »

Executive Shake-Up at Clearwire Prompts More Questions

When does this story get better? Clearwire, the early 4G WiMAX pioneer announced its CEO Bill Morrow is stepping down for personal reasons, part of a larger executive shake-up. This follows not long after the December departure of company founder and chairman Craig McCaw. Read More »

With 4G now a battle cry taken up by all the major U.S. wireless carriers, it’s not surprising that consumers are generally aware of the term. But according to a Nielsen Company survey, consumers are not quite clear on what this 4G talk is all about. Read More »

WiMAX might have had a head start when it comes to the next generation wireless broadband sweepstakes, but it’s feeling the heat from Long Term Evolution aka LTE. New data shows that by 2015, LTE will have seven times as many users as WiMAX. Read More »

With unlimited use of its WiMAX network, Clearwire stands apart from the crowd, but the U.S. 4G market is getting crowded as carriers are implementing next-generation networks. But unlimited use isn’t growing Clearwire fast enough; the company plans to take on $1.1 billion in additional debt. Read More »

We said that building a wireless network isn’t for wimps. It doesn’t just take billions of dollars; it takes the guts to go out and fight to create a big business out of cheap spectrum and new network technology. Clearwire has guts, but it needs cash. Read More »

More Must Reads

The tech world loves numbers, feature-driven marketing, and pedantic arguments over … well, technicalities, which is why the wireless debate du jour is over 4G. As operators roll out faster networks, every press release is touting 4G, but they are all pretenders to the 4G throne. Read More »

Had someone asked me just six months ago about what data plan to buy, my answer would have been very different than it is today. Here’s what you need to know about new and improved networks coming, more prepaid options and tethering plans, before you buy. Read More »

Just in time to compete with Verizon’s LTE rollout, Clearwire has announced WiMAX in three major cities before end of 2010. New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, areas where smartphones are stressing 3G data networks, will all gain access to the operators 4G network. Read More »

Broadcom is getting into the 4G cellular radio game with its planned acquisition of chipmaker Beceem announced today. Broadcom, which makes a variety of radios used ion cell phones, computers and other electronics said it will pay $316 million for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based startup. Read More »

Notebook makers are still adding embedded 3G and 4G radios in laptops, but in a world of MiFi devices and Wi-Fi gadgets, does the embedded mobile broadband model still make sense? MiFi sales are up and consumers simply don’t want a data plan for every device. Read More »

Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network is preparing to go primetime in San Francisco where consumers and mobile developers will be able to see first hand what this speed makes possible. It’s in testing in various neighborhoods in San Francisco and should be up in the coming months. Read More »

The number of carrier commitments for LTE has jumped 71 percent in the last six months and the world map for potential LTE service is quickly getting full. WiMAX may be used in some areas around the world, but LTE looks to be the global future. Read More »

Amid upcoming competition from next-generation networks, Clearwire is adding prepaid options for its WiMAX service. Although the national network is expected to cover 120 million by the end of 2010, it has cost billions and only attracted 1.7 million customers. Will prepaid speed up WiMAX adoption? Read More »

It has been an interesting year for Clearwire to say the least. The company, that is the visible and most vocal champion of the WiMAX technologies in the U.S. may move away from the technology which is the underpinning of its nationwide network. Read More »

Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, says that LTE is definitely not out of the question in the future. Indeed, both Sprint and Clearwire have hedged bets with WiMAX, which could speed up an LTE transition. But Hesse’s comments about a T-Mobile merger make little sense just yet. Read More »

Intel is reportedly closing its WiMAX Program Office in Taiwan, causing concerns about adoption of the wireless technology. WiMAX may not be dead to the region, but if it is, there’s a plan B for telecom providers: TD-LTE. Unfortunately for Intel, TD-LTE won’t sell WiMAX chips. Read More »

Two WiMAX networks backed by Intel have failed, delivering a blow to the WiMAX standard and to Intel’s venture capital arm. The chipmaker has invested billions in encouraging the spread of WiMAX, which is on the wane as WiMAX operators choose a variation of LTE instead. Read More »

Clearwire, the WiMAX operator that owns gobs of wireless spectrum across the country, might put some of its airwaves on the market according to analyst. If it sold any at the valuation it seeks, it could reshape the wireless landscape as well as its own value. Read More »

If WiMAX is a fad — a short-term bridge on the path to LTE as the global fourth-generation wireless standard — how will operators move from one network technology to another? Russia’s Yota, a WiMAX provider moving to LTE and interviews provide some clues. Read More »

Clearwire has changed an agreement it had with Intel, one of its largest investors, that could lead the way for Clearwire to dump WiMAX and switch to LTE. Clearwire didn’t say it planned to switch technologies, but it now has the freedom to do so. Read More »

Clearwire today said it would continue to expand its WiMAX 4G network to 15 cities ahead of its financial results call this afternoon. Adding cities that include Tampa, Fla., and Nashville, Tenn. will help Clearwire reach its goal of covering 120 million people by year end. Read More »

Clearwire said today that it would expand its WiMAX network to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City and St. Louis this year. Clearwire is in a race to sign up mobile broadband subscribers before the cellular operators launch their own 4G networks. Read More »

Mike Sievert, chief commercial officer at Clearwire, said the company’s mobile users (those on laptops and dongles outside the home) consume more than an average of 7GB per month of data. Slaking that thirst for mobile data, and doing it cheaply, is essential for Clearwire’s strategy. Read More »

For Clearwire, 2010 is the year it makes it or breaks it. As part of its annual results today Clearwire said it will triple its number of subscribers this year. To do that it will cover 120 million people and spend up to $3.2 billion. Read More »

Wired broadband is in trouble. And ISPs and Silicon Valley are to blame. The idea that wireless could be a real substitute for wired broadband showcases how crappy our current broadband is. We need fatter pipes, but we also need applications that take advantage of them. Read More »

Sprint will reportedly bring a WiMAX handset to market in the first half of this year, several months earlier than had been expected. But given its small WiMAX footprint and the technical issues that must be overcome, what’s the rush? Read More »

The incumbent carriers may be considering Long Term Evolution (LTE) as their post 3G wireless broadband technology, but Telegeography says that there are about 600 WiMAX networks, many of them in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It’s clear: WiMAX’s future is in developing telecom markets. Read More »

I spent the last few weeks testing a dual mode WiMAX modem from Sprint. The verdict: It’s not strong enough to be a wireline replacement, but if I didn’t have a contract on Verizon I’d ditch my MiFi and use WiMAX as my primary data connection. Read More »

Cox, the nation’s third-largest cable company, today said it had successfully delivered a voice call and high-definition video streaming over a fourth-generation Long Term Evolution network, but the trial raises more questions than it answers about the cable provider’s 4G wireless plans. Read More »

WiMAX, the wireless broadband technology, ended up having a decent 2009, with 519 network deployments. Some of the technology’s backers, such as Russia’s Yota, reached breakeven, proving that WiMAX is viable outside the US. In 2010, WiMAX carriers will see competition from LTE operators. Read More »

WiMAX is beginning to get legs on a worldwide basis, with services now being offered in major U.S. markets like Chicago, Dallas and Seattle. But with Verizon Wireless planning to bring LTE to more than a dozen markets in 2010, what will next year look like? Read More »

Clearwire has opened retail stores in 10 U.S. cities as part of pushing its Clear WiMAX service to the masses. However, given how few WiMax-capable devices there are right now, the retail environment must seem pretty empty. Read More »

Sprint held a happy hour last night to show off the WiMAX launch in here Austin, Texas, so I wandered over for some BBQ and broadband. I want to love WiMAX, but I can’t get excited about the promise of upload speeds of some 400 kilobits … Read More »

Sprint announced WiMAX service today in San Antonio and my hometown of Austin, Texas, so this is just to tell y’all I’m playing with a modem and will be letting folks know how it all works, once I activate the darn thing. Currently … Read More »

Clearwire, as expected, said today that it’s managed to cajole $1.56 billion out of most of its previous investors to continue its buildout of the Clear WiMAX network. However, those doubling down on WiMAX (see chart) as the ideal fourth-generation wireless technology … Read More »

It shouldn’t come as a surprise: Clearwire, the WiMAX-based wireless network operator, is looking for a $1.5 billion infusion from Sprint and other backers including cable giant Comcast. Clearwire executives, including CEO William Morrow, have been publicly talking about a need for new capital. The announcement … Read More »

Sprint continued to move ahead with its WiMAX rollout, flipping the switch in Chicago, three markets in Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin), and several in North Carolina. The move is in line with Sprint’s previously announced 4G rollout plans with Clearwire … Read More »

WiMAX might be losing attention and mindshare from telcos in the U.S., but it’s another story entirely when it comes to that oh-so-buzzy sector the smart grid. Utilities across the globe are increasingly starting to test WiMAX-based smart grid networks, and this morning … Read More »

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