Archive for: Clearwire
- September 26, 2011 11:21 am
Could a DishNetwork cell network hit a neighborhood near you? It sounds slightly crazy given the company’s main focus is satellite TV. But according to an interview between Bloomberg and DishNetwork CEO Joseph Clayton the possibility is very real.
After acquiring wireless spectrum from the purchases of DBSD North America Inc. and Terrestar Networks Inc., Dish needs an established wireless network to build out on. Potential partners/acquisitions could include Sprint and/or Clearwire.
While Sprint is singing praises of an incoming iPhone specifically for their network, getting acquired wouldn’t be the worst idea considering the continuing slump in sales/customer additions/revenue.
With that said, there is still plenty of work needed behind the scenes before DishNetwork could actually launch a full-fledged network.
If you’re Sprint, now is a very crucial time to make a move. You just lost a rather important exclusive offering by way of HP’s slashing of webOS as well as an ongoing, slow, costly WiMAX rollout. What do you do? Switch to GSM/LTE technology, that’s what! While we’d certainly love to hear those words coming out of Sprint’s mouth, it’s all pure speculation. Sprint, however, will put rumors to rest and outline their future plans come October 7th at a just announced “Strategy Update” and FAQ session in New York city.
To many, the thought of having to transition an entire network of hardware and consumer-end devices from CDMA to GSM seems like a nightmare. And we have no doubt to believe that it is. But two Canadian carriers have already done it — Bell and Telus — so we know it can be done. And quite honesty, if Sprint wants any chance at being successful (and not just relevant) they need to do something drastic before it’s too late.
Stay tuned. Come Octboer 7th things are going to get mighty interesting.
Sony Ericsson on left, Clearwire on right
Depending on where you stand, Clearwire’s future just got a little brighter. While the company has officially pulled out of the phone market with their plans of building an array of smartphones, it has resulted in a bittersweet ending. Sony Ericsson is no longer pursuing legal action against the company and has officially dropped their lawsuit which involved Clearwire’s too-close-for-comfort logo above (right) as a means of identifying the Clear’s future smartphone.
And with that, SE and Clearwire can go on the merry way. Now what will Clear do without a potential smartphone designing/manufacturing future?
- November 29, 2010 6:23 am
Good news for WiMax hopefuls — several more cities have been added to the list while one city has been green-lighted early. As for the latter city, LA residents were promised WiMax by December 1st. Sprint was feeling in the giving mood however and took it upon themselves to flip the switch two days early, and blanket the greater LA area starting today. The list of new cities to join LA in WiMax coverage include: Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Miami, Florida; and Washington DC.
While WiMax got off to a very, very slow start, it appears that things are finally starting to pick up. Though it’s for good reason. Verizon and AT&T both of LTE plans with the former launching in 31 major markets by the end of 2010, and further increasing that reach in 2011. It’s definitely in WiMax’s best interests to get their own technology out into as many has as possible.
With that said, how’s the new WiMax treatin’ everyone this morning?
Think of a world where opposite beings such as T-Mobile and Sprint worked together? Weird isn’t it? The odd pairing might not be such an uncommon thing in the near future. In efforts to boost network capacity and resilience, T-Mobile is rumored to be in talks with Clearwire in a potential partnership. So far, Sprint has been the only major carrier to make use of Clearwire’s 4G wireless technology. The speed is there for sure. But having T-Mobile and Clearwire/Sprint more or less working together is, well, weird.
Sprint and T-Mobile in particular are competitors. Another thing to keep in mind is that T-Mobile, while not exactly “bleeding customers”, isn’t exactly booming. For Sprint, the outlook is even worse. Taking two under performing or stagnant companies and combining, them whether through a buyout or partnership isn’t exactly the best of choices for any party involved.
Through it all, the speed increases are hard to ignore. T-Mobile users in particular probably are blinded more so than Sprint users as they’re still fairly new to this whole high speed thing. Promises of leapfrogging ahead of the competition may seem like an awesome goal to rush towards. But partnering up with Sprint…? I just don’t see success at the end of that tunnel.
Phone Scoop > Reuters
- November 20, 2009 1:18 pm
Coming last place can get old after awhile. Perhaps that’s what’s fueling T-Mobile’s motivations to actively search for a new U.S. partner if reports from Reuters are to be believed. Currently ranked 4th out of the “Big 4″ US cellular providers (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, & T-Mobile), T-Mobile has for some time now been trying to recoup lost ground and push itself ahead of it’s rivals. Part of pushing ahead is expanding the carriers rather weak coverage nationally speaking. Such adventures aren’t cheap mind you as the actual physical motions of adding towers and backhaul capacity are the most expensive upgrades carriers can make. If you’re thinking T-Mobile is looking to purchase another carrier and add to their coverage that quickly, you’ll be disappointed to know that’s not quite how it’s going down. They’re actually looking for another carrier to invest in their network with returns on investments the shining jewel of the partnership. So if T-Mobile really is trying to make new friends, where would they go?
A few possible options include AT&T (as they’re another GSM provider meaning minimal cross network issues), MetroPCS, and ClearWire. Chances of an AT&T partnership while easiest on paper are rather slim. The two largest GSM carriers collaborating has “anti-trust lawsuit” written all over it. Clearwire is…well…Clearwire. It’s pretty neutral. MetroPCS on the other hand while surprising because of their current adoption of CDMA technology isn’t that far from a T-Mo partnership. I mean, they use the 1700MHz band just like T-Mo uses for their 3G network. It is possible. But don’t forget, this isn’t exactly a “take over” partnership that T-Mobile seeks. They merely want someone else to finance a large sum of money now to rapidly build out their network.
Don’t expect anything to happen overnight though. Two unnamed Reuters sources who are familiar with the matter said that while they are anxious to expand the carriers coverage and form new partnerships, there isn’t a big rush and that they are “weighing all of their options”. Overnight success it is not. But further on down the road, T-Mobile could become quite the market dominator. Seem plausible?
Electronista > Reuters
- September 23, 2009 6:51 am
The back and forth movement of T-Mobile USA’s statements in regards to their 4G plans is enough to give most people whiplash. First they’re holding off, instead employing HSPA+ as a nice speed bump along the way. Next minute they’re (their parent company, Deutsche Telekom more precisely) making deals to light 4G services with Clearwire and Metro PCS. Clearwire whom has been cited saying that they needed more money to continue the rollout of 4G services, would have most of their current monetary problems solved with a $2 billion donation from their new friend, Deutsche Telekom. That is if they can manage to keep negotiations and agreements straight.
Worries of available spectrum can be put to rest however as Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow when interviewed by Giga OM’s Om Malik stated that they (Clearwire) “have plenty of spectrum and are flexible enough for new partners and adaptations”. Does T-Mobile’s recent Philliy dwelling, 21Mbps HSPA+ service enough to satisfy your mobile needs for now or are you ready for 4G? Leave your impressions inside.
Giga OM
Image Source
WiMax sure is having a tough time coming to fruition. While not the first setback/speed bump the Sprint partner, Clearwire has had, the latest is yet possibly another sign that maybe they just aren’t meant to be. Seems as if people aren’t exactly thrilled with the coverage and speeds they’ve been experiencing over Clearwire’s network. The plaintiffs claim Clearwire’s network of often falling short of their own claims of reliable service at broadband/DSl speeds that slow down and crawl at dial up speeds – that is if they even have working service at all as it apparently also goes down quite often. Further complicating the issue for Clearwire, the plaintiffs are also claiming that the ETF for the service is unlawful and void. Clearly, Sprint/Clearwire/WiMax are having some major growing pains that if not ironed out relatively quickly and to the publics liking, will pretty much signal the end for WiMax. Sprint, you might want to start looking for some new 4G technology. If the whole Clearwire/WiMax thing goes under leaving Sprint without any near term 4G service options, I think it’s safe to say we can pretty much write off Sprint as a national carrier. Thoughts?
Source: Into Mobile, Cellular News *Image Source: Dvice*
So far, WiMax and Clearwire haven’t exactly had a “speedy” rollout. Heck, LTE has drastically stepped up their game and has a promising couple of years coming. I was starting to think WiMax and Clearwire were throwing in the towel. All is not lost however as Clearwire’s list of ’09 and ’10 WiMax rollouts has been spied. I’ll stop the jibber jabber and get straight to it.
- first off in 2009: Atlanta, Las Vegas, Chicago, Charlotte (N.C), Dallas/Fort Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia, Seattle
- and rounding out 2010: New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Houston, San Francisco
As you can see, Clearwire isn’t taking the whole LTE situation sitting down and appears determined to win our hearts. Do they have yours yet?
Source: WM Experts
