Clearwire puts its money where its mouth is, announces LTE trials for later this year
By Chris Ziegler 
posted August 4th 2010 7:05PM
posted August 4th 2010 7:05PM
Clearwire Announces New 4G LTE Technology Trials Expected to Yield Unmatched Wireless Speeds in the U.S.
* Initial Tests Expected to Demonstrate Real-World Download Speeds Ranging from 20-70 Mbps, Significantly Faster than the 5-12 Mbps Expected from Other Operators in the U.S.
* New Trials to Showcase Unique Advantages of Clearwire's Vast Spectrum Holdings and Flexibility of Company's All-IP Network Architecture to Test Multiple Coexistence Scenarios Between LTE and WiMAX
* Unprecedented Technical Trials to Test Both FDD LTE and TDD LTE Using Commercially Available Equipment on One of World's Most Widely Used 4G Frequency Band by Global Operators
KIRKLAND, Wash., Aug 04, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ:CLWR), a leading provider of wireless broadband services and operator of the largest 4G network in the country, today announced plans to conduct 4G LTE technology trials expected to yield unmatched wireless speeds in the U.S., and to test multiple coexistence scenarios between LTE and WiMAX radio technologies. The new tests are designed to showcase the unique capability of Clearwire's unmatched spectrum holdings and examine a variety of potential future technology combinations that could yield additional benefits to consumers and shareholders.
"Clearwire's unmatched spectrum and all-IP network make us the only service provider in the U.S. able to conduct tests of this nature and on this scale," said Dr. John Saw, Clearwire's chief technology officer. "As we have consistently stated, we remain technology agnostic, but WiMAX provides us with unique advantages to meet the needs of our customers today. Ultimately, consumers don't care about technical acronyms, but they do care about quality and affordable Internet services that work where and when they want, and that's what we're focused on delivering. Part of our technical due diligence at Clearwire is to be prepared to leverage a number of possible opportunities as we future-proof our network, and that's the goal of these tests."
The company expects the technical trials to demonstrate that Clearwire's 4G network can deliver significantly higher performance using LTE technologies than any other operator. Clearwire plans to conduct the tests in collaboration with Huawei Technologies, the same infrastructure provider which deployed the world's first commercial LTE network in Europe, using the same spectrum band and flexible base station platform that Clearwire utilizes in the United States. In the same vein, Clearwire will also be testing LTE on Samsung Electronics' common base station platform which it currently uses for its mobile WiMAX deployments. During the trials, Clearwire will collaborate with Beceem, and other partners, to determine the best methods for enabling end-user devices to take advantage of a potential multi-mode WiMAX/LTE network. Other participating vendors for Clearwire's technical trials are expected to be named at a later date. In addition, due to the global dominance of the 2.5 GHz - 2.6 GHz spectrum band, a number of large wireless operators are expected to participate with Clearwire on these tests. Additional details about those companies are also expected to be disclosed at a later date. The tests will be conducted in the fall and throughout early 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dr. Saw continued, "The 2.5 GHz spectrum band is universally allocated for global 4G deployments, so it has the potential to create one of the world's most robust ecosystem across billions of devices. We believe this commonality will result in a massive diversity of mobile devices and applications, at comparably low costs, due to unmatched economies-of-scale. In a 4G world, wireless coverage is important, but capacity is king. This capacity is a unique and sustainable advantage for Clearwire, thanks to our all-IP network and unmatched spectrum holdings."
Test Scenarios
Clearwire expects to conduct tests across three key areas:
* FDD LTE: Clearwire intends to conduct FDD LTE (Frequency Division Duplex) tests using 40 MHz of spectrum, paired in 20 MHz contiguous channels, of its 2.5 GHz spectrum. Clearwire expects to confirm the capability to produce real-world download speeds that range from 20-70 Mbps. This is expected to be significantly faster than the 5-12 Mbps speeds currently envisioned by other LTE deployments in the U.S., which will rely on smaller pairs of 10 Mhz channels or less.
* TDD LTE: Clearwire will concurrently test TDD LTE (Time Division Duplex), in a 20 MHz configuration, which is twice the channel size currently used in its 4G WiMAX deployments.
* WiMAX and LTE: Clearwire will also test WiMAX co-existence with both FDD LTE and TDD LTE to confirm the flexibility of its network and spectrum strength to simultaneously support a wide-range of devices across its all-IP network.
The company also restated its commitment to use WiMAX technology for its current 4G build plan. Since the company expects that a significant number of LTE devices will be available in coming years, Clearwire is conducting technical trials to determine how it could potentially add LTE technology to coexist with WiMAX.
Additional details about the new technology tests were not disclosed. General information about Clearwire is available at http://www.clearwire.com. For more information about CLEAR 4G service, visit http://www.clear.com or The CLEAR Blog http://www.theclearblog.com. You can also follow CLEAR information on Twitter at @Clear.
For press and broadcast: product images, video footage and company logos can be downloaded from the Clearwire website at: http://www.clearwire.com/newsroom. To subscribe to Clearwire's RSS news feed, click here.
About Clearwire
Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ:CLWR), through its operating subsidiaries, is a leading provider of wireless broadband services. As of June 30, Clearwire's 4G network is currently available in areas of the U.S. where approximately 56 million people live and the company plans to continue to expand its 4G coverage. Clearwire's open all-IP network, combined with significant spectrum holdings, provides an unprecedented combination of speed and mobility to deliver next generation broadband access. The company markets its 4G service through its own brand called CLEAR(R) as well as through its wholesale relationships with Sprint, Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Strategic investors include Intel Capital, Comcast, Sprint, Google, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks. Clearwire is headquartered in Kirkland, Wash. Additional information is available at http://www.clearwire.com.
@ok1 Google shitty programming Stop trolling :)
@ok1 Google shitty programming
You know what is more ugly than a photoshop? A TROLL. Also, your comments.
Yeah they've been talking about it for awhile. My question is this: LTE is being deployed on so many different frequencies (700mhz here, 2.6ghz in Europe, 2.5ghz if Clear moves to LTE), in so many different countries, are phones going to have to be 50-band phones or something? Soft Radios? What's with it? I already read that most devices are expected to be able to operate with FDD LTE and TDD LTE, but what about the frequencies?
@ok1 Google shitty programming I wonder what Sprint thinks of this?
@Valicore
I have the same questions. I wish all these phone companies would come together and decide on one frequency for the same technology. At least Sprint/Clearwire are considering moving to LTE which is where the world is going.
@liftedngifted1
No one cares about Sprint and their crap wimax
@liftedngifted1
Sprint owns Clearwire (51%), so what one does, the other will too... they're almost the same company basically... but Clear actually owns and are building out the wimax network sprint is using. I don't know why they don't just merge already.
Sprint and Clear combined hold massive amounts of spectrum, and both companies are geared towards using both techs side by side. How? Who knows, but its a big WIN for Sprint/Clear customers....and as I'm typing this from my EVO, there's a huuuge grin on my face =D
@ok1 Google shitty programming
Your insane. Engadget's photoshops are epic!
@The Dark Knight
Unfortunately that does not depend on the operators. It is more of an issue with regulators that allocate frequencies. But most likely the phones will have some frequencies. The next revision of LTE, Release 10, will have what is called carrier aggregation, which means the phone will be able to operate in multiple frequencies simultaneously. That will alleviate the issue but not solve it completely.
@Engadget commentors,
i've read before that if clear wanted to they could switch from wimax to LTE, because its more of a software issue than hardware, as far as the towers they have set up. But as far as phones like the Evo4G and the Epic 4G on sprint...in the future if they did make the switch, would this be as simple as doing a radio upgrade on the phone too? i've tried binging and googling it in the past, but haven't found any concrete answers.
@Dellibedaboss, actually Sprint now owns 56% of Clear, any network build out done by Clear is owned by Sprint.
@Valicore Your in luck, Clear(/Sprint)'s spectrum overlaps with Europes 2.6 GHz (which is more specifically 2500-2690 GHz). However, I can't find any information on what specific ranges Clear owns; it seems to vary on the market. But on average the have about 120 MHz of spectrum to use.
This coincides nicely with the Verizon CES keynote.
Can't wait til Vegas next year.
It's about time...
@mikeDESU Your a Boron with cadmium.
first to say first!
@Antiapple
awww shit!!!
LTE/Wimax Evo! Holy moly!
WiMax vs. LTE is like HD-DVD vs. BluRay. HD-DVD & WiMax were first to the marker. But, BluRay (and I believe LTE) will win due to broader adoption.
@y2kBug
But LTE is superior to WiMax, in the other hand, i think HD-DVD was better.
@y2kBug
don't forget Betamax vs VHS :)
No, don't marginalize my EVO you bastards at Clearwire.
it'd be nice if we could get everyone in line with the world standard.
LTE all the way, please.
You know what I love about WiMAX over LTE? I can use WiMAX RIGHT NOW with my EVO. I also love that it will continue to work for the next 2 years, at which point I can re-evaluate the 4G situation and make a decision on whether I'm happy with my 6 mbps WiMAX or if I want to jump ship to some LTE implementation.
Never forget, folks: Unlike LTE, WiMAX is here NOW and you can use it NOW. The footprint is good (if you're in a city that has it) and is getting even better. And it's not going to go away for the next 2 years.
@bluescreenoftom
I'm still on a dial-up 1400bps modem, im waiting to get KDDI 1Gbit/s internet. It's been available Japan since 2008 and its only a matter of time till it gets here. Why get something faster now when I can wait for the future forever?
@bluescreenoftom
LTE is also here now. Just because it is not yet available in the US it does not mean it is not available. LTE is deployed in Scandinavia, by TELIA. It is also being deployed in the US by both MetroPCS and Verizon. Next year there will be deployments by AT&T and KDDI and DoCoMo in Japan. China Telecom will deploy LTE as soon as the Chinese government gives the OK. So LTE is here now.
@ojfl Ok, what is the selection of LTE phones then? Currently North America has the Evo and soon the Epic, and S. Korea has wimax so widely adopted that they must have a ton of phones that support it.
@cloud858rk
This should not be considered as a parameter. If you have gone to Korea, or China, you would have seen the selection of CDMA and GSM phones available in those markets is much bigger than the selection available in the US. And soon the selection of phones will increase rapidly. Recall when CDMA came out there were less than a handful of devices.
It doesn't matter, AT&T and T-Mobile are both GSM, so what unless you want EDGE speeds your not going to use a AT&T handset on T-Mobile.
Its not Wimax vs. LTE, it's (insert carrier here) vs. you.
Sprint/Clear/Clearwire/Whatever the hell their name is has already said that they are testing LTE as an ADD-ON to their existing WiMax network. A luxury their huge chunk of spectrum allows. WiMax might not have a long future but it has a good few years left at least.
Taken from the press release-
* FDD LTE: Clearwire intends to conduct FDD LTE (Frequency Division Duplex) tests using 40 MHz of spectrum, paired in 20 MHz contiguous channels, of its 2.5 GHz spectrum. Clearwire expects to confirm the capability to produce real-world download speeds that range from 20-70 Mbps. This is expected to be significantly faster than the 5-12 Mbps speeds currently envisioned by other LTE deployments in the U.S., which will rely on smaller pairs of 10 Mhz channels or less.
* TDD LTE: Clearwire will concurrently test TDD LTE (Time Division Duplex), in a 20 MHz configuration, which is twice the channel size currently used in its 4G WiMAX deployments.
* WiMAX and LTE: Clearwire will also test WiMAX co-existence with both FDD LTE and TDD LTE to confirm the flexibility of its network and spectrum strength to simultaneously support a wide-range of devices across its all-IP network.
@paco100 Damn, they're devoting 60 MHz to testing both types of LTE, and they STILL have 140MHz for WiMax. That is a boatload of spectrum.
@cloud858rk Hmm, after more Google-ing, my previous notion of them have 200 MHz is incorrent. IDK, they may have that much in some markets. On average the have 120 MHz. http://moconews.net/article/419-ctia-clearwires-co-chairman-ben-wolff/
WiMAX will become the standard for things like smart meteres, parking meters, etc. You will never need LTE to ping a power meters low speed info.
LTE will be needed for multimedia at the consumer level.
WiMAX only goes away when it is more expensive to put in place. It was cheaper to do first, so it's still cheaper when you don't need more speed.
bunch of idiots, just freaking but what you can afford and what's available now, we all by a new phone at least every year.
How does that potential T-Mobile merger sound to you guys now? T-Mobile also using LTE. Not to mention Cricket signing a deal with Sprint earlier to use its 3G network. Smells like some mergers may be afoot over the next few years.
Does anybody know if 4G WiMax devices will be able to utilize these higher speeds?
@Loick
Only if they have multiple antennas. If WiMax ends up being widespread enough to warrant it, expect to see dual mode devices to bridge the gap during an LTE conversion. Though if WiMax is widespread enough, it eliminates much of the incentive to migrate to LTE.
@Ben F but isn't it a speed problem not a 'widespread' problem. the only reason why they are considering the migration is to have speeds comparable to the competitors right?.......at any rate, you saying that it is possible for 4G devices to access LTE technology.
@Loick Only dual-mode WiMAX/LTE devices will be able to use WiMAX and LTE, much like Sprint and Verizon's dual-mode CDMA/GSM worldphones. Existing devices like the Evo or WiMAX/WiMAX+CDMA data cards cards will not be able to access LTE as it is a different technology.
@aschettler thanks..what i dont understand though, based on some research, if its correct, WiMax is capable of much, MUCH higher speeds than what it currently has so why move to LTE and not just upgrade WiMax?
@Loick
Because of the overall performance. LTE and WiMAX are comparable in radio performance but the manageability of LTE is much easier.
@ojfl
But with all the different frequencys across the freaking planet, is switching to LTE cost viable?
@Xcharles718
It depends on economies of scale. Even WiMAX in the US does not use the same frequencies than WiMAX abroad so the problem is the same. I would assume with all of the commitments to LTE that if it is not already soon it will be as cheap (or as expensive) as WiMAX.
So if I live in Phoenix, I'll be able to get those insane speeds on my Evo starting this fall?
Or are their trial testing purely internal?
@weekender No, you won't see those speeds on your Evo at all since the Evo uses WiMAX and not LTE.
@aschettler That's not necessarily true.. There are phone radios that can take wimax and Lte signals.. Let's not forget the tech is very close to the same they both use OFDM and OFDMA..And the frequency would be the same too
@aschettler That is not entirely true. I think it was said that Sprint/Wimax convergance with LTE is merely a software update.
@osk It's a software update for the towers, not for the devices.
It would be smart for them to use FDD since they have the spectrum available to them. TDD is inferior since the radio divides time between uplink and downlink and has to constantly switch off. Because of this, the radio is never at full power, leaving you with lower throughput. FDD doesn't have to switch since the radio only has to split its bandwidth allocation in half (or whatever configuration the carrier specifies) for uplink and downlink channels, allowing the radio to work at full power. TDD works if you don't have a lot of spectrum to back it up with, but I think Clearwire will end up going the FDD route. They need to get off of the 2.5 GHz band, though, unless they want to turn the power up on their base station broadcast equipment. I tried Clear for a while but couldn't really get a signal if I moved too far from the window. 850 MHz is where it's at, but 700 MHz is better than that.