Comcast Will Start Selling WiMax In The Next Few Months

Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) said it is eager to start selling Clearwire’s WiMax services in more of its markets, and that it will begin with Portland, Ore. in the next few months, according to multiple news reports. Comcast was part of a coalition of investors which pumped $3.2 billion into the company earlier last year. Since then, all the investors involved had to write-down their investment as Clearwire’s stock price has plummeted on concerns over whether the a nationwide wireless broadband business is sustainable.

Comcast’s COO Stephen Burke told The Oregonian it will start buying capacity wholesale from Clearwire (NSDQ: CLWR) and reselling it to their customers by midyear in Portland, which is one of Clearwire’s two WiMax markets. Separately, Burke told TechFlash that Comcast is satisfied with its investment in Clearwire, but said the company is moving slower than they anticipated. “A little bit slower. And it is a challenge in these credit markets, which I think is reflected in the speed of the roll out…But I think we will get there eventually, and when we do it will be a great product and something our customers will want.”

Nonetheless, Burke is still excited about bundling wireless along with its TV and wired Internet services. “If you look at the world, I think the two things that are pretty certain is that the world is going digital…and the other thing is that a portion of the consumption is going to be wireless. We think a big portion will still be through a wire. We think five or 10 years from now when you go home and watch television you are going to have a really big screen with really, really high-quality high-def — maybe 3D…But when you are out of the home, you are going to want to get your data experience and your phone experience and sometimes your video experience out of the home. So we are going to need a wireless component to our offering, and Clearwire is a way to do that. We are looking forward to rolling it out and given it to our customers.”

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