Due to recent budgeting woes at Clearwire, the company that operates WiMAX 4G network, investors have expressed concern over the impact on their shares if they default on their debt. In response, Clearwire’s parent company, Sprint Nextel, has relinquished its majority vote in the company. However, Sprint has retained all its economic interest in the company, which amounts to 54 percent. Sprint resells Clearwire’s broadband network under its own name, as is by far the network provider’s biggest customer.
Sprint has surrendered some of its Class B stock, decreasing its holdings from 54 percent to 49.8 percent.
Due to the cost of its 120 million customer capacity network and heightened competition from rival 4G network LTE, Clearwire was hard-pressed in recent months to convince investors it could hold out for another year. This is true even though Sprint recently pumped one billion dollars into the stalling organization following an intense bout of wholesale negotiations.
“By taking this action, Sprint is proactively providing protection and flexibility with respect to its debt agreements and eliminating ongoing investor concerns about any potential cross-default risk,” said Sprint Scott Sloat. The company maintains that it still enjoys a positive working relationship with Clearwire.
Is this the nail in Clearwire’s coffin? Throughout the organization’s recent woes, the one player that has stood staunchly behind the broadband manufacturer has been Sprint, who expressed faith in Clearwire’s ability to thrive in an increasingly cutthroat market. Now that Sprint has somewhat reneged on its vote of confidence, will the people at Clearwire lose all hope?
Motorola Powers World’s First WiMAX-based Electric Utility Smart Metering for SP AusNet – Oct 22, 2009 (PR Newswire)
The advanced mobile broadband technology allows fast and cost-effective roll-out of new metering infrastructure. Motorola will provide SP AusNet with a wireless end-to-end infrastructure for its smart metering program, which will help monitor and reduce electricity usage for more than 680,000 customers in Victoria.
Tellabs Acquires WiChorus to Revolutionize the Mobile Internet – Oct 22, 2009 (Reuters)
Users want mobile Internet services anywhere, anytime. Sales of smartphones are growing more than 30% a year, and netbooks are taking root. As a result, Tellabs’ mobile customers expect mobile data traffic to grow 30% to 50% a year for the foreseeable future. Such high growth demands scalable, next-generation network architectures to deliver 3G and 4G services.
Augere launches Dhaka WiMAX network ‘Qubee’ – Oct 22, 2009 (TeleGeography)
Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh yesterday launched WiMAX-based wireless broadband services in five areas of Dhaka under the brand name ‘Qubee’, reports Bangladeshi newspaper the Daily Star.
Green Packet Secures Singapore WiMax License - Oct 22, 2009 (Wimax News)
Kuala Lumpur, 22 October 2009 –Bursa Malaysia Main Board listed Green Packet Berhad has, via its subsidiary, Packet One Sdn Bhd, entered into an agreement with Pacnet for the transfer of Pacnet’s Facilities-based Operator (FBO) license and Wireless Broadband Access (WBA) spectrum right to Green Packet’s newly incorporated company, Packet One (S) Pte Ltd (“P1 Singapore”).
Memo To Intel: Time For An Overdue Reality Check On Mobile WiMAX – Oct 19, 2009 (Gerson Lehman Group)
Next generation or truly 4G mobile WiMAX is likely to be a specification that is never implemented on a significant scale.
Board Panel’s Hearing of WiMax Plan to Continue – Oct 20, 2009 (NashuaTelegraph.com)
Goodman Networks has asked officials to consider a proposal to build two 150-foot WiMax towers on New Hampshire school district properties – one at Birch Hill Elementary School, the other at Nashua High School North.
Get the Inside Scoop on Airspan from Declan Byrne – Oct 21, 2009 (Wimax News)
GoingWimax catches up with Declan Byrne, chief marketing officer of Airspan.
WiMax Subscribers Reaches Approximately 4 Million Worldwide – Oct 20, 2009 (Wimax News)
Maravedis released the latest 4G statistics and according to 4G Counts their subscription service, it shows that BWA/WiMax subscriptions have increased by 560,000, making it about 4 million worldwide.
Motorola Powers World’s First WiMAX-based Electric Utility Smart Metering for SP AusNet – Oct 22, 2009 (PR Newswire)
The advanced mobile broadband technology allows fast and cost-effective roll-out of new metering infrastructure. Motorola will provide SP AusNet with a wireless end-to-end infrastructure for its smart metering program, which will help monitor and reduce electricity usage for more than 680,000 customers in Victoria.
Tellabs Acquires WiChorus to Revolutionize the Mobile Internet – Oct 22, 2009 (Reuters)
Users want mobile Internet services anywhere, anytime. Sales of smartphones are growing more than 30% a year, and netbooks are taking root. As a result, Tellabs’ mobile customers expect mobile data traffic to grow 30% to 50% a year for the foreseeable future. Such high growth demands scalable, next-generation network architectures to deliver 3G and 4G services.
Augere launches Dhaka WiMAX network ‘Qubee’ – Oct 22, 2009 (TeleGeography)
Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh yesterday launched WiMAX-based wireless broadband services in five areas of Dhaka under the brand name ‘Qubee’, reports Bangladeshi newspaper the Daily Star.
Green Packet Secures Singapore WiMax License - Oct 22, 2009 (Wimax News)
Kuala Lumpur, 22 October 2009 –Bursa Malaysia Main Board listed Green Packet Berhad has, via its subsidiary, Packet One Sdn Bhd, entered into an agreement with Pacnet for the transfer of Pacnet’s Facilities-based Operator (FBO) license and Wireless Broadband Access (WBA) spectrum right to Green Packet’s newly incorporated company, Packet One (S) Pte Ltd (“P1 Singapore”).
Memo To Intel: Time For An Overdue Reality Check On Mobile WiMAX – Oct 19, 2009 (Gerson Lehman Group)
Next generation or truly 4G mobile WiMAX is likely to be a specification that is never implemented on a significant scale.
Board Panel’s Hearing of WiMax Plan to Continue – Oct 20, 2009 (NashuaTelegraph.com)
Goodman Networks has asked officials to consider a proposal to build two 150-foot WiMax towers on New Hampshire school district properties – one at Birch Hill Elementary School, the other at Nashua High School North.
Get the Inside Scoop on Airspan from Declan Byrne – Oct 21, 2009 (Wimax News)
GoingWimax catches up with Declan Byrne, chief marketing officer of Airspan.
WiMax Subscribers Reaches Approximately 4 Million Worldwide – Oct 20, 2009 (Wimax News)
Maravedis released the latest 4G statistics and according to 4G Counts their subscription service, it shows that BWA/WiMax subscriptions have increased by 560,000, making it about 4 million worldwide.
Rumor: T-Mobile to Acquire Sprint – Oct 19, 2009 (Wimax News)
For quite some time now rumors have been swirling around about a possible merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. Just over the weekend this rumor has resurfaced after months of no mention.
2nd UPDATE: Sprint To Buy IPCS For $426M, Ending Legal Fight – Oct 19, 2009 (Wall Street Journal)
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)–Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) agreed to acquire affiliate iPCS Inc. (IPCS) – its last major independent affiliate – for $426 million, ending a legal battle between the companies. Sprint has been acquiring its affiliates over the past several years after its 2005 buy of Nextel caused headaches for the combined company, including outcry from affiliates that saw their competitive position compromised.
Woosh Eyes Wimax Role in Rural Broadband – Oct 19, 2009 (The Dominion Post)
Woosh chairman Rod Inglis says the broadband firm will seek clarification from the Government on whether it could build a new WiMax network that would have a chance of competing for contracts from the Government’s $300 million rural broadband scheme.
OVER THE WEEKEND . . .
New Networks Help Japan Regain Its Wireless Data Edge – Oct 18, 2009 (PC World)
Despite an early lead with handset-centric services like I-mode, Japan fell behind in the wireless data race a few years ago as interest shifted to Apple and the iPhone. But now, thanks to super-fast data networks and low prices, consumers are embracing always-on connectivity for laptops and giving the country’s wireless industry back its edge.
Freedom4 Gets Okay to Roll Out Mobile WiMAX in U.K. – Oct 17, 2009 (FierceBroadbandWireless)
Freedom4, which is part owned by Intel Capital, said telecom regulator Ofcom has changed the company’s license conditions, allowing Freedom4 to offer mobile WiMAX services across the United Kingdom.
KT Set to Launch First Ever WiBro Handset – Oct 16, 2009 (Wimax News)
According to TFTS, Korean company KT is set to launch its first ever WiBro handset. This handset will be named the Samsung SPH-M8400 smartphone, however no price or release date have been specified yet.
Enforta Designs WiMAX Networks with Mentum Planet – Oct 16 2009 (RealWire)
The leading Russian wireless broadband access operator Enforta (LLC “Prestige-Internet”) announced today it will be adopting the Mentum Planet® 5.0 radio planning software to design its WiMAX networks.
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Barry West joins Clearwire as president of international. Prior to joining Clearwire, Mr. West was president of the Xohm Business Unit for Sprint Nextel. He previously served as Sprint Nextel’s chief technology officer and president of 4G mobile broadband, as well as executive vice president and chief technology officer for Nextel Communications Inc.
Mr. West joined Nextel in 1996 and was the chief architect in creating the iDEN wireless technology platform with partner Motorola. Prior to joining Nextel, Mr. West led many successful engineering and marketing initiatives during more than 35 years for British Telecom including overseeing the rollout of a GSM digital cellular network that covered more than 90 percent of the United Kingdom population in only nine months. Mr. West also served as director of value-added services and corporate marketing at Cellnet, the pioneer of cellular communications in the United Kingdom.… Read the rest
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Barry West joins Clearwire as president of international. Prior to joining Clearwire, Mr. West was president of the Xohm Business Unit for Sprint Nextel. He previously served as Sprint Nextel’s chief technology officer and president of 4G mobile broadband, as well as executive vice president and chief technology officer for Nextel Communications Inc.
Mr. West joined Nextel in 1996 and was the chief architect in creating the iDEN wireless technology platform with partner Motorola. Prior to joining Nextel, Mr. West led many successful engineering and marketing initiatives during more than 35 years for British Telecom including overseeing the rollout of a GSM digital cellular network that covered more than 90 percent of the United Kingdom population in only nine months. Mr. West also served as director of value-added services and corporate marketing at Cellnet, the pioneer of cellular communications in the United Kingdom.
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September 29, 2008: That Monday was the fateful day of Sprint-Nextel’s long-awaited WiMAX rollout. Xohm launched commercially in Baltimore to great anticipation in four forms: a $35/month modem plan, a $45/month mobile service for use with a PC ExpressCard, a $65/month “pick 2″ plan, and a $10/day tryout, but it’s really the second option that brings something new to the table. Internet anywhere in a city? No wires? And not even that, but faster than your usual cabled setup too! So needless to say, many have already taken Xohm out for a (literal) test drive, so much so that the ExpressCards are selling out in stores.
The bottom line? PC Magazine and Information Week both seem to agree–the new service is undoubtedly fast. PC Magazine’s : “With a strong signal, I saw download speeds averaging 3.6Mbps, with my fastest test at a blazing 7.1Mbps. That’s faster than my home cable connection!” But “strong signal” are the operative words; the new network still has a lot of gaps to fill. J. Nicholas Hoover of Information Week confesses to having run across a few “dead zones” in areas that were stated as covered, and signal fluctuations were common, as Segan elaborates: “At a shopping mall…I had a significantly stronger signal on the south side of the mall than on the north side.“ But, he continues, “[T]hat’s to be expected from a new wireless network in its first week…Networks start out patchy and then fill in.”
So Sprint’s WiMAX network is far from perfect. But for now, Baltimore residents should be glad to have 35 mph streaming video. Next up is Chicago and D.C.; the former is already getting hyped up with an exhibit in the Museum of Science of Industry featuring a three-story WiMAX-enabled Smart Home. And if you aren’t in Baltimore but are in the seven announced near-future sites (Chicago, D.C., Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia), you may still be able to take advantage of fixed WiMAX speeds!… Read the rest
]]>September 29, 2008: That Monday was the fateful day of Sprint-Nextel’s long-awaited WiMAX rollout. Xohm launched commercially in Baltimore to great anticipation in four forms: a $35/month modem plan, a $45/month mobile service for use with a PC ExpressCard, a $65/month “pick 2″ plan, and a $10/day tryout, but it’s really the second option that brings something new to the table. Internet anywhere in a city? No wires? And not even that, but faster than your usual cabled setup too! So needless to say, many have already taken Xohm out for a (literal) test drive, so much so that the ExpressCards are selling out in stores.
The bottom line? PC Magazine and Information Week both seem to agree–the new service is undoubtedly fast. PC Magazine’s : “With a strong signal, I saw download speeds averaging 3.6Mbps, with my fastest test at a blazing 7.1Mbps. That’s faster than my home cable connection!” But “strong signal” are the operative words; the new network still has a lot of gaps to fill. J. Nicholas Hoover of Information Week confesses to having run across a few “dead zones” in areas that were stated as covered, and signal fluctuations were common, as Segan elaborates: “At a shopping mall…I had a significantly stronger signal on the south side of the mall than on the north side.“ But, he continues, “[T]hat’s to be expected from a new wireless network in its first week…Networks start out patchy and then fill in.”
So Sprint’s WiMAX network is far from perfect. But for now, Baltimore residents should be glad to have 35 mph streaming video. Next up is Chicago and D.C.; the former is already getting hyped up with an exhibit in the Museum of Science of Industry featuring a three-story WiMAX-enabled Smart Home. And if you aren’t in Baltimore but are in the seven announced near-future sites (Chicago, D.C., Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia), you may still be able to take advantage of fixed WiMAX speeds!
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Unstrung has provided a hopeful article on Clearwire and Sprint’s possible reunion on the WiMAX front–apparently with help from Google and others. Analyst Eric Kainer provides a synopsis on some of the possibilities:
- When could the deal be announced? The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is one possibility. It takes place next week.
- Clearwire is “close to the finish line” in the deal with Sprint
- Google’s interest in Xohm may be because they feel they can reach more people sooner than via 700 MHz broadband.
- With Sprint’s financial troubles in the news and Clearwire in need of more funding, this may be the optimal time for a reunion
Unstrung has provided a hopeful article on Clearwire and Sprint’s possible reunion on the WiMAX front–apparently with help from Google and others. Analyst Eric Kainer provides a synopsis on some of the possibilities:
- When could the deal be announced? The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is one possibility. It takes place next week.
- Clearwire is “close to the finish line” in the deal with Sprint
- Google’s interest in Xohm may be because they feel they can reach more people sooner than via 700 MHz broadband.
- With Sprint’s financial troubles in the news and Clearwire in need of more funding, this may be the optimal time for a reunion
With last week’s announcement of 4,000 job cuts, reductions in its retail footprint and the loss of three top executives, many wonder what all these changes with Sprint will mean for Xohm. To provide more background on the latest news, key executives Paul Saleh (chief financial officer), Tim Kelly (chief marketing officer), and Mark Angelino (president of sales and distribution) are all leaving Sprint in the wake up plummeting profits and subscriber losses for the company. These realities have defied Sprint’s hopeful financial estimates and lead to some criticism–criticism that has been somewhat on the rise since the company’s acquisition of Nextel a few years ago.
Though Xohm has not been specifically mentioned in conjunction with some of the changes that have been happening with Sprint, one can’t help but wonder if it will be affected. While there were hopes that Sprint would open the new year with a big bang on its promise to roll-out nationwide, buzz on their initial three-city soft launch has been on the low end. This has resulted in some doubts, as John Oram of Geek.com expressed, “Often Sprint makes good technology decisions, however their implementations are sorely lacking; e.g., Sprint’s promised WiMAX ‘savior solution’ that is going to be, at best, a tough row to hoe.” At the same time, however, there are no indications that Xohm will be coming to a halt being that Sprint has positioned the division alongside several services and agencies that will help make it happen.
Though these key movements among Sprint’s executives and other changes may suggest instability or reason for doubt, developments with Xohm still seem to be in order for 2008. Any announcements from the company suggesting otherwise remain to be seen.… Read the rest
]]>With last week’s announcement of 4,000 job cuts, reductions in its retail footprint and the loss of three top executives, many wonder what all these changes with Sprint will mean for Xohm. To provide more background on the latest news, key executives Paul Saleh (chief financial officer), Tim Kelly (chief marketing officer), and Mark Angelino (president of sales and distribution) are all leaving Sprint in the wake up plummeting profits and subscriber losses for the company. These realities have defied Sprint’s hopeful financial estimates and lead to some criticism–criticism that has been somewhat on the rise since the company’s acquisition of Nextel a few years ago.
Though Xohm has not been specifically mentioned in conjunction with some of the changes that have been happening with Sprint, one can’t help but wonder if it will be affected. While there were hopes that Sprint would open the new year with a big bang on its promise to roll-out nationwide, buzz on their initial three-city soft launch has been on the low end. This has resulted in some doubts, as John Oram of Geek.com expressed, “Often Sprint makes good technology decisions, however their implementations are sorely lacking; e.g., Sprint’s promised WiMAX ‘savior solution’ that is going to be, at best, a tough row to hoe.” At the same time, however, there are no indications that Xohm will be coming to a halt being that Sprint has positioned the division alongside several services and agencies that will help make it happen.
Though these key movements among Sprint’s executives and other changes may suggest instability or reason for doubt, developments with Xohm still seem to be in order for 2008. Any announcements from the company suggesting otherwise remain to be seen.
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