Service Providers

Sprint Indicates a Separation from Clearwire, WiMAX

Moshe Lehmann on March 4, 2011 | 5 comments

A Sprint executive revealed this week that the major telecom corporation has been considering the deployment of a nationwide LTE network by 2013. At face value, this may not seem unusual. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have all launched or committed to build LTE networks – a similar move by Sprint would only extend its compatibility and range of services. But the announcement comes as Sprint nears the conclusion of arbitration talks with its partner Clearwire. Clearwire operates the US’s largest WiMAX network, Sprint’s only 4G service. Sprint is majority owner of the 4G conglomerate. The two companies have been at loggerheads over a pricing war and talk of a Sprint LTE network could imply a pending divorce between Sprint and its current WiMAX operator.

If such a schism would occur, it would spell disaster for Clearwire. The young telecom is already muddled in funding issues for the completion of its 4G WiMAX network. If it loses its majority partner, Clearwire might as well just throw in the tower.

But don’t call your stockbroker yet. Sprint’s president of network operations and wholesale, Steve Elfman, assured listeners at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom conference that the company won’t make a final decision until the end of the second quarter, when all friction with Clearwire has been sorted out. Still, Sprint’s position is threatening. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Dan Hesse, Sprint’s chief exec said: “Our Plan A is together with Clearwire, but we do have a Plan B. If we don’t reach agreement, we will go and do our own thing.” It’s clear that Sprint is planning future strategies solo. How this will affect the future of WiMAX technology in the US, only the second-quarter will tell.… Read the rest

The Future of WiMAX – Has LTE Won?

Moshe Lehmann on February 3, 2011 | 11 comments

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

Unveiling the HTC Evo Shift 4G, Sprint’s Third 4G Wimax Smartphone

Tiferet Weiss on January 27, 2011 | 4 comments

Considered Sprint Nextel’s first true splash into Android technology, the HTC Evo Shift 4G is the latest new device to break into the 4G market, cutting in just ahead of Verizon’s first 4G Smartphone announcements.

Clearwire’s Spectrum Auction Slows

Moshe Lehmann on January 21, 2011 | 4 comments

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

Is T-Mobile Abandoning HSPA+?

Moshe Lehmann on January 20, 2011 | 8 comments

CEO Humm on the iPhone, their very own LTE network, and the new Vibrant 4G

At an investors meeting in New York, T-Mobile USA CEO Philipp Humm and Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann discussed the company’s future. Trailing in 4th place behind Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile’s sales growth has slowed in recent years and the competition is only getting tougher, with the ever-expanding iPhone and burgeoning of rival 4G networks.

To combat these new challenges and get the company back on its feet, Humm announced a series of bold strategies aiming to bolster sales growth by $3 billion in 2014. In the short term, T-Mobile hopes to attract Americans about to join the smartphone craze, an estimated 150 million people. With $10 data plans and $100 phones, the company will offer some of the nation’s most competitive smartphone packages.

T-Mobile missed the iPhone boat and it’s costing them. Humm explained the company’s seen a 10% churn rate, or loss of business to rival providers, purely because of Apple’s tantalizing device. Because of technological inequalities, offering the iPhone is just not in the cards for T-Mobile, at least not for a while. Humm said the company will focus on Android devices, attempting to curb the flow of business to iPhone-friendly providers.

Speaking of Android, T-Mobile also announced that the long-awaited Samsung Vibrant update to Android 2.2 begins rollout January 21st. Humm explained the holdup was purely technical and T-Mobile has to adjust to a clientele of smartphone owners who expect regular upgrades. They also officially unveiled the Vibrant 4G, T-Mobile’s third HSPA+ smartphone and expected to reach speeds of up to 21Mbps, unmatched by the company’s current devices. T-Mobile released no details or specs, but those will surely surface at the Mobile World Congress in mid-February.

To compete with the new 4G networks on the block, T-Mobile plans to soup up their capacity to 42Mbps on HSPA+ by the second half of this year, although it’s uncertain whether devices able to harness those speeds will be as readily available. But in the long run, T-Mobile will need to switch to true 4G technology. Although they brand their existing HSPA+ network as 4G, it’s not universally accepted as such. Humm explained that they’re favoring LTE because the transition will be easier.

T-Mobile plans on selling non-essential assets, like cell towers, to raise capital for an LTE network. … Read the rest

WiMAX Summit in Taiwan Addresses Global Roaming

Moshe Lehmann on January 13, 2011 | 1 comment

Earlier this week, several WiMAX operators met in Taipei to discuss the development of global, or international, roaming on WiMAX networks. The first-ever WiMAX Forum Global Operators Summit served as an opportunity for operators to draft cooperative agreements and move forward in achieving global roaming on 4G networks.

Just like for traditional cell phones, WiMAX roaming involves using another provider’s network when outside reach of your own. Global roaming refers to borrowing such services when outside your home country. Roaming is made possible through agreements between the various providers to share their services with each other’s subscribers. For WiMAX service, this feature is still in its nascent stages. Analysts project revenues from WiMAX global roaming to grow up to 86% within the next five years.

According to some reports, new IEEE 802.16m standards for WiMAX technology and equipment were hoped to have been set in Taipei. Final approval, though, is not expected until March.

With many of the world’s manufacturers of WiMAX-related products based in Taiwan, the conference was also seen as an opportunity for local producers to meet with international service providers. With the influx of so many representatives from around the world, officials in Taiwan’s Ministry for Economic Affairs hoped the summit would generate deals, agreements, and ultimately revenue for the Southeast Asian country.… Read the rest

The Deciding Factor Between WiMAX and LTE? Data Plans.

Kristina Tsamis on December 2, 2010 | 7 comments

With Verizon’s LTE launch coming up in just three days, the new talk among 4G aficionados is no longer exclusively about WiMAX vs. LTE. The new concern? Costly data plans.

In a press conference today, Verizon announced that its LTE data plans will run at $50 for 5GB of coverage and $80 for 10GB. Go over those data caps and you could be charged ten dollars per GB. With Verizon touting LTE’s lightening-fast speeds, one PC Mag tester ate through his 5GB data cab in just 32 minutes. So how can 4G plans function when they are being offered with 3G pricing?

Engadget offers a comprehensive overview of current 4G data plans, comparing offerings from Verizon, Sprint, Clearwire and others. While there are advantages and disadvantages in terms of coverage and hardware, the disparity in data plan costs is most staggering.

While most reviewers are hesitant to define a clear leader in the data plan race, Sue Marek of Fierce Wireless points out that, for most consumers, $80 for just 10GB–along with the prospect of hefty overage fees–is just too much. With CLEAR offering unlimited data on its WiMAX network for just $45/month, budget-conscious users have a much clearer choice. … Read the rest

Clearwire Brings 4G to Cyber Monday

Kristina Tsamis on November 30, 2010 | 4 comments

Just in time for Cyber Monday, CLEAR launched its commercial WiMAX service in Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and South Florida. This launch expands Clearwire’s reach to over 110 million individuals.

While Ohio and LA-area residents will be able to purchase CLEAR at its own dedicated retail stores or via CLEAR retail partners–Best Buy and RadioShack–the company’s South Florida launch was accompanied by significantly less fanfare. In an effort to streamline marketing and advertising budgets, South Florida residents will only be able to purchase CLEAR services over the phone or online.

CLEAR’s South Florida network blankets over 3.8 million residents and extends from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, including Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Hollywood and Dania Beach. In conjunction with Cyber Monday, the company offers new users 50 percent off for the first two months of service in addition to waiving activation and shipping fees.

CLEAR’s next 4G launch is slated for December 28, 2010 in the San Francisco Bay area.… Read the rest

Dubliners Imagine a Future with WiMax

Evan Kessler on November 24, 2010 | 2 comments

Ireland may be in the throes of a major financial crisis, but even with the economy teetering on the verge of collapse there’s still room for a business success story here and there. While Clearwire struggles to make a dent with its WiMax network in the U.S., a home-grown Irish company Imagine is having a splendid go of it in the capital city of their homeland and beyond.

By offering their mobile broadband and phone service at a rate that’s fifty percent cheaper than their competitors, Imagine is pulling in customers at a rate of 5,000 per month. While that may seem like small potatoes to many, Ireland isn’t exactly China in the population department. Industry experts think the cheaper plans and faster broadband capabilities could result in the migration of 50,000 customers from Eircom, one of the nation’s leading service providers, in the coming year. Many consumers stand to save as much as EUR400 per year, which during this period of recession is no small change.

Imagine has, in effect, turned Dublin into an Internet hotspot with it’s mobile broadband. The city is ahead of other prominent European capitals in terms of wireless connectivity, leaving places like Berlin, Paris, and London lagging behind. Their service isn’t just for big city folk.It extends far into the countryside to the far corners of Wexford, Dundalk, and Killarney. Imagine has also focused on extending the 4G network to places traditionally devoid of signal, so called black-spots like Blackrock and Killester. While many well-to-do nations and providers spend money building out LTE networks, WiMax is fast proving a cost effective solution to high-speed internet in places where dollars and sense are at a premium.… Read the rest

Sprint to Get New ‘HTC Knight’ in Shining 4G WiMax Armor

Evan Kessler on November 23, 2010 | 40 comments

Until now, customers of Sprint’s 4G WiMax network have had precious few devices with which to valiantly navigate the speedy mobile broadband terrain offered them. The HTC Evo 4G and Samsung Epic 4G have performed admirably in the kingdom of next-generation wireless, so you’d think consumers would be content wielding their net surfing phones in the most perilous situations where a blazing fast connection is all that stands between them and certain doom–or in this case the important text message they need to respond to. Sure those devices do the trick just fine, but in this era where having just two options is akin to insanity, Sprint customers may soon get a third– their very own “Knight” in shining armor.

The FCC has just approved HTC’s latest 4G WiMax-enabled handset with an impressive set of specs for Sprint to tack onto a growing roster of 4G-ready hotspots, modems, laptops and phones The smartphone, presently dubbed the “HTC Knight,” is equipped with Froyo, an 8-megapixel camera, 1GHz processor, 3.7 inch display and a most appealing sliding QWERTY keyboard.

Several blogs are predicting the latest member of the Sprint 4G WiMax phone family will get to stores in time for the holiday rush. We’re not so optimistic as that day as fast approaching, but it could make for a nice present for those last-minute shoppers. If it does hit the stores in the next few days, keep your eyes peeled for a few different monikers, as the ” HTC Knight” name is not set in stone strong enough to keep Excalibur. The alternate names are thought to include the “Sprint HTC Desire Z,” “HTC Speedy,” and the “HTC Evo Shift 4G.” We prefer the “Knight” if only because it brings a certain amount of valor to the act of using our cell phone for something as common as downloading a ringtone. … Read the rest

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