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Cisco signs on to provide infrastructure, build Linksys WiMAX routers for Clearwire
Clearwire may not be as ubiquitous as you'd like it to be, but it's taking a huge step forward in hopes of wildly expanding by linking up with Cisco. In essence, the two have joined hands in order to "enhance and expand CLEAR 4G mobile WiMAX services throughout the United States," with Cisco providing the core infrastructure and Clearwire providing the guidance. Potentially more interesting is the notion that Cisco's Linksys brand will soon be delivering "new mobile WiMAX devices," such as routers that will presumably tune to WiFi and WiMAX waves. Specific product details are sorely absent, though Clearwire does reiterate that it's hoping to have WiMAX service to more than 80 markets across the US by the end of next year.
Dell injects WiMAX into trio of laptops
While making a point to assert it's looking into LTE as well, Dell has for now jumped on the WiMAX bandwagon by announcing it'll offer the technology as an option on its Studio 15, Studio 17, and Studio XPS 16 laptops. US customers can pick the Intel 5150 WiMAX / Wireless-N combo card for $60 under the wireless card tab when customizing. Right now, we'd wager a few people living in Portland, Atlanta, or pockets of Baltimore just got mighty happy.
Court allowing iPCS to proceed with fight against Sprint's Clearwire deal
Sprint affiliate iPCS' post-Nextel merger beef with the carrier goes beyond the Nextel market issue; they've also been making noise over the deal that has married Sprint's WiMAX efforts with Clearwire's, claiming that it's sharing awesome technology and other "benefits" with Clearwire that it also has a legal obligation to share with its affiliates. To that end, the Illinois-based company has scored another court win that allows its WiMAX-related lawsuit to proceed, though not without also dropping a claim to collect "undetermined" damages against Sprint that the judge determined iPCS was not entitled to collect under the terms of its agreement. Like the endless Nokia / Qualcomm and Broadcom / Qualcomm legal dramas, this is shaping up to be one for the ages -- so sit back, relax, get your popcorn ready, and make sure you've got a full legal reference at your side. [Via Phone Scoop]
Samsung Mondi WiMAX hands-on with video
While we caught this at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, Samsung officially launched its WiMAX / WiFi Mondi at CTIA today. Samsung's SWD-M100 MID runs Windows Mobile -- and we have to say that it looks really polished -- with the transitions between homescreen panels being particularly stunning -- check the vid to see it in action. While thin, the popout lower lip keypad is a tough thing to use, the width of the keypad itself and the positioning of the d-pad make it all seem a bit awkward to use. We do like the 4.3-inch display, though suspect it may prove to be a tad power hungry once this gets a little more real on Clear's WiMAX network. Follow on for a short vid and a handful of pics of us playing with this big glossy thing.
CradlePoint bringing WiMAX to existing fleet of portable routers
While Clearwire's Clear Spot (which is really just a refashioned PHS-300) will handle WiMAX right out of the box, those who own one of CradlePoint's existing portable routers are flat out of luck... or are they? Said company has just announced that starting today, shipments of its business-class routers -- including the MBR800, MBR1000, and MBR1100 line of mobile broadband routers, CTR500 mobile broadband travel router, and CBA250 cellular broadband adapter -- will have WiMAX compatibility built in. Furthermore, a forthcoming (April 6th) firmware update will enable existing CradlePoint products to accept select WiMAX devices, and yes, it'll be made available for no charge at all. Talk about throwing a bone to your loyal customers.
Clearwire's Clear Spot portable WiMAX / WiFi router now official, coming early April
Good news for those who happened to live in Portland -- and elsewhere in the years to come. Clearwire's announced that the CradlePoint-manufactured portable WiMAX-equipped WiFi router we saw back in January will be hitting stores in early April as the Clear Spot Personal Hotspot. Up to eight 802.11 b/g-compatible devices will be able to share the 4Mbps bandwidth. Price is $139 for the unit, but of course you'll have to pay The Man beyond that to actually use the service. The company promises more devices like this in the coming months.
Samsung's WiMAX-equipped SWD-M100 MID outed as Mondi
Although apparently not on its site just yet, it looks like Samsung's RSS feed has unleashed the first official pic of that WiMAX-enabled SWD-M100 MID we spotted at MWC as well as revealed a catchier name: Mondi. The device will utilize Clearwire's Mobile WiMAX network simply dubbed "Clear." Last we heard it was running Windows Mobile 6.1, but seeing as its sporting that dedicated Windows button required for WinMo 6.5, that all could change before it's release. Speaking of which, mum's the word on pricing or availability, we're afraid.[Via Phonescoop]
Sprint unveils WiMAX expansion cities, devices for 2009 and 2010
The XOHM label may be gone, but the potency of Sprint's WiMAX network is still kickin' in and around Baltimore. For those itching for wicked fast mobile broadband outside of The Charm City, Sprint has just unveiled a slew of expansion areas that'll get gifted in 2009 and 2010. As for the rest of this year, folks in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle can expect Sprint 4G rollouts, while residents of Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. can be on the lookout in 2010. In related news, the carrier is also taking this opportunity to reveal that it has "several new 4G devices planned for 2009 and 2010, including a single-mode 4G data card, embedded laptops, a small-office-home-office broadband modem and a tri-mode phone." Lovely.
Portland customers to get bundled WiMAX courtesy of Comcast
Portland, Oregon was the first place to get a taste of Clearwire's own WiMAX service, so it's not exactly all that surprising that it's also going to be the first to get Comcast's version of the very same high-speed wireless service. Of course, this being Comcast, you can also expect to see the WiMAX service offered in bundles with its TV, phone, and broadband services when it launches "midyear," although there's no indication of pricing just yet (Clearwire charges between $20 and $50 a month). As The Oregonian points out, this is also a pretty clear indication that Comcast will be following Clearwire's lead as it expands into additional markets, and it's apparently even pushing Clearwire to deploy its service as quickly as possible, with Comcast COO Stephen Burke saying, "we didn't invest in Clearwire to make money on the stock. We invested in Clearwire to roll out a product that our customers want."[Via FierceBroadbandWireless, thanks Loren]
Portland non-residents rejoice: Clearwire's WiMAX service to expand to major markets this year
Yeah, that's right, Portland, wipe that smug grin off your face. You too, Baltimore, because Clearwire has committed to a list of new mobile WiMAX launches for this year and next -- and needless to say, there are some major markets in the mix. In its earnings call this week, Clearwire revealed 2009 will see Atlanta, Las Vegas, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas / Fort Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia, and Seattle all take the plunge, while '10 will add New York, Washington DC, Boston, and San Fran (among other to-be-named metros). We're not sure whether they're talking about the same U300 USB modem that launched before, but the company has also mentioned that it'll be launching a dual-mode data card this summer, and ahead of that, we'll be getting that portable WiMAX WiFi hotspot by the end of this month. The goal is to cover about 120 million pops in 80 markets by the end of next year, which certainly seems strong enough to give the oncoming LTE rush a run for its money, doesn't it? [Via mocoNews]
Clearwire to produce portable WiMAX / WiFi router
We can't say a device such as this was inevitable or anything, but given how limited the adoption of WiMAX has been thus far in America, it's definitely a win for everyone involved. According to Sidecut Reports, Clearwire will soon unveil a portable WiMAX / WiFi router built by Cradlepoint (prototype pictured), which will utilize a Motorola WiMAX USB stick to enable WiFi-capable devices to gather 'round and surf on the delightfully speedy WiMAX superhighway. In other words, non-WiMAX handsets that have WiFi modules can tap into the WiMAX network (if they're in a lit locale, that is) via this device, which -- if we may say so ourselves -- is a brilliant design move. There's no word yet on when the box will ship nor how pricey it'll be, but this could be just the thing you've been looking for to replace that painfully expensive cable modem at home.[Thanks, Jeremy]
Court blocks Sprint from offering service in iPCS areas
It didn't manage to block the Sprint / Clearwire merger, but iPCS is still scoring little victories for itself in its continued fight with Sprint over alleged violations of the exclusivity agreement it's had in place with the (much, much larger) carrier for nearly a decade. An Illinois court has now ruled that Sprint can't offer service in areas where iPCS has a presence, while Sprint's partners have their fate decided in the hallowed halls of justice starting March 30. iPCS covers seven states, so it's actually a pretty big blow to Sprint to have the footprint ganked from their icy clutches; guess they'll just have to make it up with Android-powered sub wins.[Via Phone Scoop]
Clearwire's $150 dual-mode WiMAX / Sprint CDMA modem launches Sunday
Yup, it's true, the dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX modem is real and will be sold by Clearwire Sprint starting December 21st. The $150 device (after $50 rebate and two-year Sprint contract) is a first to function on both Sprint's EV-DO network and Clearwire's nascent mobile WiMAX service currently supporting Baltimore's collection of kitschy beauty salons. So yeah, the modem is of limited interest until Clearwire can build-out its network in 2009, starting with Portland in early January.
What's going on with Sprint?
We first caught wind of Sprint's plans to launch a couple dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX devices under the "Sprint 4G" brand a couple days ago, but we're thinking about it a little more, and we're struck by the carrier's decision to run its 4G services as an MVNO on Clearwire's new Clear network. Sprint's balance sheet is basically upside-down at the moment, so we sort of understand why it's not eager to directly invest in a build-out of 4G infrastructure, but at the end of the day, leasing access to a network for general voice and data services is a totally failed business model -- there's a reason we have an MVNO graveyard. We're not saying Sprint's turning itself into the next Helio, but you just don't see the other major carriers doing things like selling off almost all of their existing towers and then letting a spinoff handle their 4G buildouts. We'd say there's some deep juju going on behind the scenes here, and with company spokespeople saying things like "nothing's off the table," it feels like some radical changes are about to hit Overland Park. We'll see how it shakes down soon enough, we think -- the status quo doesn't seem like it can last much longer.
Sprint 4G dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX modems and handsets on tap
Hang tight to that Samsung SWC-E100 ExpressCard you snatched up as one of the few early adopters in Baltimore -- that thing could one day be a serious relic (or rare eBay find). Just over a year since launching the perplexedly named XOHM WiMAX service, Sprint has decided to rechristen the whole thing Sprint 4G after its workings with Clearwire. Reportedly, the carrier will be offering up dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX modems as early as the end of this year (at least in the Charm City), while similarly equipped handsets won't be too many months behind (just like we'd heard). Kinda hurts to know you can't add a CDMA radio into that WiMAX-only card you already purchased, huh?[Via phonescoop]
Newly-dubbed "Clear" WiMAX service hits Portland, Oregon
It just been a few short days since it finally closed the deal with Sprint, but Clearwire is already out there busily rebranding its newly-acquired WiMAX assets, with Portland, Oregon first to get the new "Clear" WiMAX service, which the company humbly describes as "like lightning, but faster." To get in on that, you'll have to fork over between $30 and $50 a month (for unlimited service), or ten bucks for a 24 hour pass, with Clear's own USB modem setting you back an extra $50 (a desktop modem is also available for $5 a month). Somewhat interestingly, the company is also promising to offer WiMAX-ready laptops "soon," but it unfortunately isn't providing any further details on those just yet. Hit up the link below to check the exact availability of the service, and look for it to hit Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Grand Rapids, Michigan in the not too distant future.[Thanks, Stephen K.]
Clearwire and Sprint close deal to combine WiMAX businesses
This one's been a long time in the making, but the deal is finally done. Clearwire and Sprint Nextel have gleefully announced that the transaction to combine their next-generation wireless internet businesses is complete, and beers are on the two of 'em this evening. On the real, the agreement dictates that Sprint hand over all of its 2.5GHz spectrum and WiMAX-related assets (including XOHM) to Clearwire; additionally, Clearwire has received a $3.2 billion cash infusion from Comcast, Intel, Time Warner Cable, Google and Bright House Networks. Details beyond that are scant, though we are told that the terms "originally announced on May 7, 2008" are the ones being abided by, and the new company will retain the Clearwire name and its Kirkland, Washington headquarters.
Sprint, Clearwire to finally get hitched thanks to FCC approval
We're relieved, here's why: we don't have to report on this on-again / off-again relationship like we're a celebrity tabloid rag anymore. Around the same time it gave the thumbs up to Verizon and Alltel, the FCC also decided that tumultuous lovebirds Sprint and Clearwire can finally get hitched. Their eventual offspring will be the WiMAX network they've been promising with a bunch of other partners -- the plan is to offer wireless broadband to 140 million people within 30 months' time, so today's a big day for WiMAX and corporate romantics everywhere.
WiMAX tested in Reno, doesn't work in cars
Sprint may have just launched the XOHM WiMAX network in Baltimore, but would-be merger partner Clearwire has been running its version of the mobile broadband service in Reno for a while, and InfoWorld went down to test it out and give us a taste of what to expect. Performance was good while not in motion, with downloads speeds around 1.5 to 2.0 Mbps and uploads hitting 275 to 325Kbps, but actually getting mobile broadband seems to be out of the question -- the system simply couldn't connect to a laptop moving in a car or on a train. That seems like a dealbreaker to us, but we'll give it a pass for now since it's so early in the game -- we'll see if Sprint can do better.
FCC working to approve Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel mergers by the end of the year
The FCC doesn't exactly have a track record of swiftness when it comes to reviewing mergers, but it looks like that little election thing might have lit a couple grey suits on fire -- FCC chairman Kevin Martin says that the agency is aiming to finish looking over the Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel deals by the end of the year. That's right before a new administration takes over and potentially gums up the process, so we're guessing it'll be approvals all around, since rejecting the bids would result in some fun lawsuits for everyone, but we'll see how things shake out.
