Clearwire touts fully open, third pipe "New Clearwire" WiMAX network

It's not exactly a surprise that Sprint Nextel and Clearwire have some pretty big plans for their newly-merged WiMAX network, but a recent FCC filing has now revealed some tantalizing details about exactly just what they have in mind. As Ars Technica reports, the two companies foresee the "New Clearwire" WiMAX network as being nothing short of a true "third pipe" into the home, and a fully open one at that. That would let users use any "lawful device" on the network so long as it's "compatible with and not harmful to the WiMAX network," and it'd offer non-exclusive wholesale access to the network to anyone looking to hop on the WiMAX bandwagon. The two companies are also promising that customers can expect to get speeds up to 6Mbps on the downlink, and 3Mbps uplink, and that the network will cover 140 million people by 2010 -- and a full 220 million by 2017.

[John @ Jun 12th 2008 4:53PM]

I hope by 2017 we can expect speeds greater than a paltry 6mbps.

[Ben @ Jun 12th 2008 5:00PM]

Damn, this sounds really great...but your right, the network will just be to slow at that point.

[Danakin @ Jun 12th 2008 5:02PM]

The time reference was simply for the expansion and coverage of the network...the speeds are only current estimates, with no time factored into them

[Niki @ Jun 12th 2008 5:05PM]

I don't know about you guys...
But WiMAX ought to be able to get a WHOLE lot more than a pathetic 6mbps. The tech is there, it just needs to be developed.

As for 2017? I'm all for tricorders and com badges. =]

[Ignatius @ Jun 12th 2008 8:29PM]

We won't have first contact until 2063, after the third World War... I wouldn't get your hopes up.

[IT-Accountant @ Jun 12th 2008 5:08PM]

So does this mean... free open access?

I hardly dare say it.

[ToxicDose @ Jun 12th 2008 5:32PM]

. . . free open access . . .

As long as you use a "lawful device" (read as "device licensed by ClearWire").

[roflercopterer @ Jun 13th 2008 1:12AM]

Actually I take that to mean any FCC-passing device since it is the FCC they are addressing.

Verizon's move to open up their network is forcing sprint.

[Jason @ Jun 12th 2008 5:58PM]

High-speed at high-speeds:

Actually, 6mbps isn't too terribly bad when you consider you can get it at 60mph.

[p3t3b2 @ Jun 12th 2008 6:03PM]

I can get 1.8Mbps on Sprint Rev-A going 70+mph.

[Kronk @ Jun 12th 2008 6:04PM]

It won't be free

Yes it's nice to have an open network, but the network footprint will be miniscule (140m pops is less than 5% of US land area, by contrast the combined Verizon and Alltel CDMA footprint is about 65% of US land area)

Also, good luck getting a 2.5GHz signal on a handheld device when you are indoors without some kind of repeater

[tim l @ Jun 12th 2008 6:28PM]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Clearwire scams its customers. They auto-renew contracts, throttle your connection badly, won't let you use VOIP, have lots of downtime, and will sell you service even if you don't get signal from your house and then lock you in the control and force you to pay ETF. Google "Clearwire Sucks" for more.

[ethana2 @ Jun 13th 2008 1:07AM]

I use VoIP on clearwire, or at least I did. They don't actually block it.

Besides, that is the whole point. Kill the evil cell providers, VoIP on WiMax everywhere.

[sr1329 @ Jun 12th 2008 7:06PM]

Can they stop running their mouths and get this thing on in NYC so I can get my WiMax N810 and be happy? Idiots.

[sr1329 @ Jun 12th 2008 7:06PM]

Just saving my password. Sorry.

[YOYO @ Jun 12th 2008 7:39PM]

this has the potential to kill off cell phones in the near future

if every thing i read is true and u can have your mobile and home broadband all in one service
and be able to connect at decent speed every were i go then i would have no need for a cell phone any more

as i would just use so type voip service

[John Stracke @ Jun 12th 2008 9:53PM]

Any bets on whether Clearwire manages to survive until 2010?

[linderman @ Jun 12th 2008 11:21PM]

I would take the bet that they do...I think a $14.5 Billion company with that kind of backing and technology will do just fine. If they do as they state, I really like their chances...and I have already tried the WiMax technology through Sprint in Las Vegas at CES and we are all ready for quite a ride...let's all have some patience and let them get this new company together. Remember, it is mostly Clearwire in name, but Clearwire has some assistance this time since it is only going to own 27 percent of the new company of its name. I like what I have been reading and I cannot wait to sell, market and promote the new product!

[Jason @ Jun 13th 2008 10:42AM]

What odds? I'll take it on a longshot.

[Cell Guy @ Jun 12th 2008 10:40PM]

1. Why would a company spend $20 billion to build a network and give you access for free? Ignorant hippies.

2. Sprint is having a problem with high-speed data back-hauls from their cell towers. 80% of their towers have just a T1 (1.5 Mbps). You might have 6 Mbps from your smart phone or computer to the cell tower, but then you're sharing a 1.5 Mbps pipe to the internet with 20 other customers at a time. Ouch!

3. Verizon and AT&T have committed to LTE technology which has a potential maximum speed of 100 Mbps. Rollouts start in 2010. ATT's and Verizon-Alltell's wireless network each cover roughly 290 million people - virtually everywhere but the most remote mountains and desert. AT&T and Verizon both own the largest fiber optic networks in the world, capable of carrying almost unlimited data bandwidths on backhauls from their cell towers. They aren't in place yet but that won't take long.

In short, in 5 years, WiMax will look like Betamax.

[linderman @ Jun 12th 2008 11:41PM]

If all goes well, in two years, WiMax will have a tremendous head start with millions of customers across the country enjoying high speed, wireless Internet access and will own devices which will not work with LTE technology.

In two years, if they do not screw up, the new Clearwire company can make a company like Verizon and AT&T have to work extremely hard to extract extremely satisfied customers away from a successful technology to an upstart technology that nobody has heard of.

In two years, if Clearwire does its job correctly and deploys the technology we all have been promised, WiMax will have a name for itself and WiMax customers will be receiving upgrades and new versions of the 802.16 technology that will rival LTE, but the customers will be loyal to the devices they have already made an investment in.

If WiMax is the real deal, in two years, they will have the necessary head start to become the standard bearer for high speed Internet in the USA and, yes around the world because that was Craig McCaw's dream and if it becomes a reality, in two years we should all be using WiMax and enjoying its virtues.

I realize there are a lot of "ifs" in my dialogue here, but if WiMax is delivered as promised, our friends at Verizon and AT&T will have a lot of catch up work to perform to convice a satified public to make yet another change and investment into a new technology.

As we have seen in the past, sometimes, whoever comes out with their mousetrap first and gets such a huge head start, has a greater chance of winning...and the greatest winner will be the end users, the customers!

[doubeleive @ Jun 13th 2008 12:57AM]

shoot it's worse than that I ran a backtest on the clearwire network here and found 264 user's on 2 servers with speeds that were only slightly faster than DSL, bunch of crap then they wanted to charge me for the full contract when there service kept going down and I do business over the internet, how can I do business if the service doesn't work? I had to go in and argue with the manager and told them wouldn't pay them a penny. cancel me... now I use 10mbps cable.. much better, clearwire sucks

[cm-rex @ Jun 13th 2008 6:58AM]

well we had it for some years now i DK and it's OK and does deliver the speeds promised. but when i were streaming at full speed 24/7 the modem overheated at started to melt :-s in the immortal words of H.J.Simpsons D'OH... well got fiberoptical now (nice)

[Robert Zitty @ Jun 13th 2008 8:39AM]

"... a recent FCC filing has now revealed some tantalizing details about exactly just what they have in mind. "

I have been unsuccessfull in finding the link to this filing. Can anyone provide one?
Thanks in advance.

[tanooki2003 @ Jun 13th 2008 8:45AM]

meh

[Dadabe @ Jun 13th 2008 1:48PM]

I think people will still make babies between now and 2017 they fall short planning for 220M...

[billy @ Jun 16th 2008 12:51PM]

Please don't use Clearwire. Why support a company that won't support our military members.

[Justin @ Nov 5th 2008 10:59PM]

I hope humanity still exists by 2017.