In a bid to remain cutting edge and on par with the world’s most industrialized cities, Nigerian officials have tapped Indian broadband and internet services provider Spectranet to implement their own 4G network. The commercial service was rolled out over the weekend and aims to provide small and medium businesses, corporations, and individuals with reliable and cost-effective broadband service.
Sprint Nextel Co. announced Friday that it will cease selling devices compatible with Clearwire’s network at the end of next year. Clearwire is a wholesale provider of WiMAX 4G wireless service and is majority owned by Sprint, who is also currently their biggest customer. This revelation came on the heels of Sprint’s decision to move into LTE territory, WiMAX”s biggest 4G competitor.
It looks like WiMAX’s chances of survival in the US are growing ever-slimmer. FierceWireless posted an article, recently, on Time Warner’s cool assessment of Clearwire; according to the article, Time Warner execs said their experience with the WiMAX company was “not very impressive and pretty inconclusive.” Time Warner has a slim 15,000 4G subscribers.
Time Warner is one of several companies invested in Clearwire, a conglomerate owned primarily by Sprint Nextel, with a 54 percent stake in the company. Clearwire is on unsteady financial ground and still seeks funding to complete the rollout of its WiMAX network. Clearwire is WiMAX’s largest proponent in the US and if it collapses, WiMAX in the US might go with it.
The other major US telecoms have chosen LTE to move into the 4G realm. Verizon is avidly pushing their LTE network and AT&T relies on both LTE and HSPA+, the psuedo-4G. Even T-Mobile, who has forever been presenting their HSPA+ as 4G technology, announced recently that they’re hoping to build an LTE network in the coming years. In fact, there’s been talk of T-Mobile purchasing spectrum space from the struggling Clearwire, one of the WiMAX company’s plans to raise capital.
Three out of four of the major US carriers have chosen LTE and the one WiMAX holdout is shaky at best. Around the world, LTE is also burgeoning. China has allowed companies to test TD-LTE over the next eighteen months and Russia is working hard at bringing LTE into the country. It’s possible that the measures are beginning to slide ever so slightly. WiMAX may have gotten there first, but it seems that slow and steady will win this race.… Read the rest
According to unnamed sources, many of the potential suitors for Clearwire’s WiMAX spectrum have lost interest in the sale, generating new worries for the already-troubled company. Clearwire, majority owned by Sprint Nextel, is strapped for cash and needs funding to complete their 4G WiMAX network. The company borrowed enough money to keep it functioning for about a year, some 1.3 billion dollars, but they’re hoping a sale of wireless spectrum could bring in up to 2 billion dollars more, giving Clearwire a strong foundation to move forward.
The main, and some say only, prospect now is T-Mobile USA. T-Mobile execs announced yesterday that they’re looking to build a true 4G network down the road, most likely LTE, but need spectrum-space to work with. With few bands still available, T-Mobile hopes to partner up with another company to build their network. Although Clearwire has a WiMAX network, it’s capable of supporting both 4G technologies simultaneously. Sources say that T-Mobile is also looking into buying spectrum on LightSquared’s network but Clearwire is the frontrunner at the moment.
Clearwire and Sprint are the biggest proponents of WiMAX technology in the US. The other two top carriers, Verizon and AT&T, are rolling out LTE networks this year and T-Mobile just announce an interest in building a LTE network in the next several years. If Clearwire fails to negotiate this tight spot, it might spell the end of the WiMAX – LTE battle, at least in the US, and some fear it could mean lights out for Sprint Nextel as well.… Read the rest
