Clearwire launched WiMAX services in Kansas City and Washington D.C. and expanded current WiMAX services in Baltimore. As with all CLEAR launches, Sprint will also offer 4G services in these latest markets. It’s the beginning of an important few months for Clearwire. They’re now established in 33 markets and are looking to add many markets this summer.
John O’Donnell will run the Kansas City operation as general manager. The network covers 670 square miles in and around the Kansas City area. The network goes from Kansas City International Airport in the north, south to Belton, west to Kansas Speedway, and as far east as Blue Springs. It covers 1.1 million people. There are also CLEAR retail stores established throughout the network. For customers in Kansas City there’s a promotion online only with CLEAR plans that start as low as $15 per month for the first two months after a $50 service credit.
“CLEAR is thrilled to bring to Kansas City residents, businesses and visitors a super fast Internet experience similar to what they’re used to having at home or the office, anywhere around town or on the go,” O’Donnell, said, “We’re pleased to bring a valuable new category of Internet service designed to make people’s lives more enjoyable and more productive with our service launch in Kansas City.”
The CLEAR network in our nation’s capital covers almost 1 million people. The network covers north to Silver Springs, MD, south to Alexandria, VA, as far west as Falls Church, VA and east towards College Park, MD. Clearwire plans on expanding coverage in the Washington, D.C. area in the coming months. CLEAR is also offering the same starting $15 per month for two months after a $50 service credit. Jeff Fugate was named general manager of the Washington D.C. market.
“We’re proud to bring the nation’s leading 4G network to the nation’s capital, and we believe that D.C. area residents, businesses and visitors can all benefit from an Internet experience similar to what they’re used to having at home or the office, anywhere around town or on the go,” Fugate said, “Whether downloading the newest files before a meeting on Capitol Hill, hosting a video chat with friends from the National Mall, or researching an assignments while moving around an area university or museum campus, CLEAR provides an unmatched combination of Internet speed and mobility within the District and many of the other surrounding communities.”
CLEAR now covers 725 square miles in and around the Baltimore area. The network extends as far south as Annapolis, southwest to Columbia, west to Owings Mills and east to Dundalk and Essex. Dean Young was named general manager for the Baltimore market. It will cover around 1.7 million people and customers will be able to pay only $15 per month for the first two months after a $50 service credit.
“CLEAR is thrilled to expand our service offering to Baltimore residents, businesses and visitors a super fast Internet experience similar to what they’re used to having at home or the office, anywhere around town or on the go,” Young, said, “Baltimore has been a pioneer city in providing high speed wireless Internet service on the East coast. CLEAR is proud to carry on that tradition by providing blazing fast 4G speeds for residents.”
CLEAR retail locations in Baltimore are located at Arundel Mills Mall, Columbia Mall, Harborplace & The Gallery, Mondawmin Mall, Towson Town Center and the White Marsh Mall. Retail locations in Washington D.C. are located at North Dupont Circle and South Dupont Circle. Retail stores in Kansas City are located at Oak Park Mall and Independence Center.
CLEAR’s complete wholesale partner Sprint announced the availability of Sprint 4G in its home market of Kansas City. It covers the cities of Shawnee, Overland Park, Lee’s Summit, Independence, the Northland and Kansas City. The network will grow as more cell sites are added throughout the summer.
CLEAR is now available in 33 U.S. markets. They will expand to several more as the summer continues, including Tampa and Orlando, FL, and Nashville, TN. CLEAR plans on covering 120 million people by the end of 2010, including launching markets in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Denver, Miami and Cleveland.
CLEAR offers many different ways to connect to ultra fast mobile internet, including a selection of WiMAX-enabled laptops, USB modems, home modems and the CLEAR Spot, a mobile hot spot for users to share their 4G connection. CLEAR also announced it will have WiMAX-enabled phones available this fall. One of the phones will be a HTC phone that connects to the fastest speeds available. The other one will be a video-centric phone from Samsung that focuses mostly on live video conferencing at fast speeds with high definition quality video.
Sprint customers will get the best WiMAX device this Friday June 4 with the launch of the HTC EVO 4G phone. It also works as a wireless hot spot, smart phone providing wireless broadband internet to users. Sprint should see an increase in subscribers because of the EVO 4G and it should help with the adoption of WiMAX now.
WiMAX took a hit in recent weeks with Russian operator Yota announcing its switch to LTE in launching 15 new markets in the next few months in Russia. Clearwire hasn’t ruled out a change over to LTE, but it’s not going to happen before 2012. Currently, CLEAR needs to launch in more markets and continue to offer the best devices, including the 4G+ USB modem that connects to 3G markets when out of network. They also offer indoor internet solutions with WiMAX home modems and mobile solutions like USB Modems. For the CLEAR Spot to work, users must plug in a USB modem. The device connects up to eight WiFi devices.
Sprint also offers the Overdrive mobile hot spot that allows up to five WiFi-enabled devices to connect to 4G speeds. Sprint offers some better devices and a lot of their immediate future rests on WiMAX. They’re the first to enter the 4G market. Clearwire needs the adoption in these markets to happen quickly before launching in the two largest markets in the U.S.- Los Angeles and New York.
People are asking when Los Angeles and New York will get CLEAR. It wasn’t announced towards the end of the first quarter 2010 as part of the CLEAR summer launch markets. Their stock has been making small gains in recent weeks- it bumped after the first quarter 2010 announcements and should increase with every announcement of a new market.
