portland

Free Solar-Powered Wi-Fi In Portland?

Elizabeth Dickey on February 8, 2010

At the annual State of the City Address in Portland, Oregon, Mayor Sam Adams said that the city will make $500,000 available for innovative small business ventures that may be matched by banks.

The city is creating a Portland Small Business Seed Fund in conjunction with the Sustainable Development Fund. The $500,000 seed fund will come from the Portland Development Commission and the city will be loaning the money as opposed to making equity investments. The fund’s success will be measured through the number of jobs created by the companies who receive the funds.

Mayor Adams said that the investment is a result of multiple talks with the people behind NedSpace who have been campaigning for more public support for startups.

A simple, sustainable Wi-Fi solution is one of such possible business ventures. Using solar powered kiosks in neighborhood parks, residents would have access to free Wi-Fi. In the next three years, the plan has the potential to fund itself, stimulate jobs in news media and software development, and deliver emergency broadband communications throughout the city.

Each kiosk would be a neighborhood node and a laser-based microprojector coupled to an iPad/iTouch would provide a small ruggedized display. The splash page would feature an interactive news map with localized Nozzl News, traffic, and weather. Service could also be customized using cell phones.

Community-based advertising would provide $100/month revenue for each Kiosk and over 36 months, the $3,600 cost could be re-paid.

Photo via Flickr courtesy of Ben Amstutz… Read the rest

Sprint and Investor Partners to Invest 1.5 Billion More in Clearwire!

Kathleen Regalado (Kathleen@goingwimax.com) on November 9, 2009 | 4 comments

Clearwire-Investors

Sprint and several partners in the new Clearwire will be investing $1.5 billion more in capital in order to assist the WiMax service provider in completing the first stage of the nationwide rollout of its WiMax network. This news comes about 18 months after Sprint, Intel, Comcast, Google Inc., and other partners first put $3.2 billion into Clearwire, which is building the first so-called “4G” mobile broadband network.

Clearwire plans to expand its network to reach up to 120 million people in the U.S. by the end of 2010. Clear WiMax is currently available in Portland, Atlanta, Las Vegas and select markets in North Carolina and Texas, and recently launched in Philadelphia and select cities in the Dallas/Ft.Worth Metroplex.

The negotiations for this venture are said to be private, however many have reported that investors such as Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp. also plans to put more money into the venture. Google another of the partners has chosen not to participate in this round of financing.

Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow has said the company needs to secure financing or delay the buildout. The company plans to spend as much as $1.9 billion this year as it expands the network, and will start offering service in Dallas, Chicago, Honolulu and other parts of the country this quarter.… Read the rest

Clear Wimax Portland Connectivity by Marc Wallis

admin on October 6, 2009

View WiMAX Connectivity in a larger map… Read the rest

Portland Wimax Speed Test by Sam Churchill (Sept 09)

admin on October 5, 2009 | 1 comment

… Read the rest

Sprint: WiMax Live in Portland, Las Vegas and Atlanta

goingwimax on August 17, 2009

sprint-launch-817

Today Sprint is launching WiMax in Portland, Las Vegas and Atlanta.

Customers in these areas are able to purchase laptop dongles to connect to the network.

Sprint’s WiMax services are already available in Baltimore. These cities are four of the nine in which Sprint will launch WiMax by the end of 2009.

Download speeds can reach over 10 Mbps with an average of 3 to 6 Mbps. Monthly subscriptions rates are $25 for a fixed connection, $30 for a mobile connection and $50 for both.

Clearwire and Comcast have already launched WiMax in these cities, so Sprint will focus its services on businesses.

Sprint has also recently added 17 new markets to its WiMax launch plans, including Boise, Corpus Christi and Maui.… Read the rest

Hot Off the Press: Criteria for Obama Broadband Funding

Ari Zoldan on July 10, 2009

Hot Off the Press: Criteria for Obama Broadband Funding – July 2, 2009 (Wimax News) : The Obama administration published the criteria for its technology initiative funds yesterday, a Wall Street Journal article reports. The published document deals with the method of distributing billions of dollars toward the development of broadband in the US.

Clearwire officially launches WiMax in Las Vegas – July 8, 2009 (Wimax News) : Clearwire’s Las Vegas market went unofficially live in late May, and users had been telling us that they could sign up for service in June. Clearwire now says they’ll be launching the market officially on July 21, making it the fourth Clearwire market to launch behind Baltimore, Atlanta, and Portland.

Wimax Equipment Market Expected to Decline During Q2 2009 – July 8, 2009 (Wimax News) : Infonetics Research, a market research and consulting firm, recently released the first-quarter edition of its ‘WiMAX Equipment, Devices, and Subscribers’ report, which indicated that the worldwide WiMAX equipment revenue will decrease by 16 percent from the previous quarter and further decline is expected in second quarter of 2009.

Rumor : Clearwire Ramping Up for Dallas & Seattle Launch – July 7, 2009 (Wimax News) : Clearwire is now preparing for a forthcoming launch in the Dallas and Seattle area according to some ads on Craigslist soliciting new sales representatives and executives. The firm has posted ads on Dallas and Seattle Craigslist promoting an “invitational open house” to find prospective candidates for sales jobs in the area.

Introducing the 2009 WiMAX Distinction Awards – July 7, 2009 (Wimax News) : For the second year in a row, Internet Telephony Magazine is presenting the WiMAX Distinction Award, designed to honor those companies who are developing and designing the next generation of products and solutions that will define the WiMAX space for years to come.

Growth in Mobile Video Shifts Massive Advantage to WiMax Providers Until 2012 – July 7, 2009 (Wimax News): A new report by Digdia titled ‘The Emerging 4G Wireless Landscape in the U.S.’ published on July 6, 2009 finds that congestion in 3G networks, caused by a massive increase in demand for mobile digital media, will accelerate adoption of higher capacity 4G technology.

Blueslice Adds WiMAX to CSP 3000 – July 1, 2009 (Wimax News) : Blueslice Networks, a multi-profile subscriber management solutions provider, announced today that it will introduce the world’s first fully-integrated … Read the rest

Weekly WiMAX Report #7

Ari Zoldan on June 30, 2009

Exclusive: Marc Brachman on CLEAR Atlanta – June 26, 2009 (Wimax News) : We can’t get enough of Clearwire in Atlanta. We want to know how it works, who’s liking it, and who’s not. So we interviewed Marc Brachman of JLM Partners–Clearwire’s PR agency–who serves as the firm’s General Manager for Georgia. Brachman talks to us about the prospects, price, and popularity of CLEAR Atlanta.

Comcast Now Offers 4G in Portland – June 30, 2009 (Wimax News) : Comcast now offers 3G and 4G wireless Internet services in Portland, Oregon, in addition to its wired Internet services. The company announced yesterday that it will offer the new high-speed Internet service under the name of Comcast High-Speed 2go. Comcast will use Clearwire’s WiMAX network to deploy its 4G services and Sprint to deploy its 3G services.

Japan to Offer WiMAX Laptops Next Month – June 29, 2009 (Wimax News) : Major Japanese computer makers will launch WiMAX-enabled laptops this coming July, according to an article in the Mainichi Daily News. UQ Communications, which offers commercial WiMAX services in Japan, will provide the WiMAX service.

Clearwire Snatches Up Licenses from Oneida – June 26, 2009 (Wimax News) : Clearwire recently bought up 2.5 GHz spectrum assets from Oneida Communications Group in several areas in the U.S. for an undisclosed amount. The areas where Clearwire acquired the licenses include Lynchburg, VA, Parkersberg, W. VA, Salisbury, MD, and Santa Barbara, CA.

Redline Receives Funding for WiMAX Product Development – June 24, 2009 (Wimax News) : Redline Communications Group Inc., a provider of WiMAX and wireless broadband solutions, announced today that it has signed an $10 million agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development.

Mixed Feelings for WiMAX – June 24, 2009 (Wimax News) : According to a Telecomasia report, Intel will not back away from WiMAX technology, even as analysts predict that LTE will dominate the 4G landscape.

Samsung Expects to Increase Network-Equipment Revenue on WiMax - June 24, 2009 (Bloomberg) : Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s second-largest mobile-phone maker, said it expects to increase network-equipment sales as more operators begin deploying the mobile WiMax wireless high-speed Internet service.

Interview: Green Packet Leverages Its WiMAX Advantages; Sees Strong Growth Opportunities – June 23, 2009 (WiMax.com) : Operating as both a WiMAX equipment & solutions provider as well as a WiMAX service provider through its Packet One Networks subsidiary in Malaysia, Green Packet … Read the rest

Comcast Now Offers 4G in Portland

goingwimax on June 30, 2009 | 1 comment

comcast-portland-03-19-09 Comcast now offers 3G and 4G wireless Internet services in Portland, Oregon, in addition to its wired Internet services. The company announced yesterday that it will offer the new high-speed Internet service under the name of Comcast High-Speed 2go. Comcast will use Clearwire‘s WiMAX network to deploy its 4G services and Sprint to deploy its 3G services.

The Comcast High-Speed 2go will operate on data cards that come with Comcast’s phone, Internet, or television products. The result will be a mobile broadband experience wherever and whenever customers need to be connected.

“Comcast High-Speed 2go now gives consumers the best of both worlds: the fastest fast at home and on the go,” said Catherine Avgiris, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Wireless and Voice Services at Comcast. “In today’s world, consumers don’t want to be disconnected for even a minute, and now Comcast provides wired and wireless access–a combination consumers won’t want to live without.”

Comcast’s data cards will come with two service plans. The Comcast High-Speed 2go Metro will use a 4G-only data card and will operate only in a 4G service footprint. The Comcast High-Speed 2go Nationwide will offer metro 4G service in addition to coast-to-coast access on Sprint’s national 3G network. The Nationwide device will automatically switch between 3G and 4G networks.

Comcast High-Speed 2go will initially sell as the Fast Pack Metro, a price package of $49.99 a month for a 12 Mbps home Internet service, 4 Mbps mobile Internet service, and a free Wi-Fi router. After the first year, the service will be sold for $73 a month with an extra $20 for national 3G data services. If you are already a Comcast customer, you can buy the service for $30 locally and $50 nationally.

Clearwire has been offering CLEAR, its WiMAX network, in Portland since January 2009, and now has WiMAX networks in 16 states including California, Nevada, Idaho, Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, Virginia, North Caorlina, Tennessee, Florida, Alaska, and Hawaii. Comcast invested $1 billion in Clearwire earlier this year, and expressed its intentions then to offer its own 4G Internet services by mid-2009. After Portland, Comcast hopes to offer more 4G services in Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadephia by the end of 2009.… Read the rest

Exclusive: Marc Brachman on CLEAR Atlanta

admin on June 26, 2009 | 4 comments

610x We can’t get enough of Clearwire in Atlanta. We want to know how it works, who’s liking it, and who’s not. So we interviewed Marc Brachman of JLM Partners–Clearwire’s PR agency–who serves as the firm’s General Manager for Georgia. Brachman talks to us about the prospects, price, and popularity of CLEAR Atlanta:

Will you please give some background of your company, i.e., what type of technology have you sold in the past and when you began to sell WiMAX technology?

Clearwire officially launched CLEAR in Atlanta on June 16. This is Clearwire’s first wireless offering in Atlanta. The company launched the first CLEAR market in Portland, Oregon in January 2009. Following launches in Atlanta and Las Vegas this summer, we are planning 2009 launches in several other markets, including Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas/Fort Worth, Seattle, Honolulu and Charlotte. Next year, we expect to expand CLEAR to cities such as New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Houston and the San Francisco Bay area, and we expect to cover up to 120 million POPs and 80 markets by the end of 2010. Nationally, Clearwire has offered a pre-WiMAX service in 46 domestic markets.

Have you seen an improvement in your sales since you began offering CLEAR service?

We are pleased with the reception CLEAR has received in Atlanta to date and have received positive feedback from many of our satisfied customers.

Can you share details of the business deal between your company and Clearwire?

CLEAR is a product offered by Clearwire. There is no special deal to speak of in Atlanta. In 2008, Clearwire completed a transaction worth $3.2 billion with several new strategic partners, including industry leaders such as Sprint, Comcast, Intel, Google, Time Warner and Bright House Communications. This funding helped make possible the game changing trajectory CLEAR is on today.

How many subscribers to CLEAR are there in your area? Of the subscribers, do most get Clearwire’s High Speed Internet plan or its Voice Bundle plan?

We don’t break out total customers by market or product mix. We can say that the customers who have signed up for CLEAR have been pleased with the service and we get a number of new customers through referrals from current CLEAR subscribers.

Do you think the WiMAX service will become the Internet standard in your area? In most of Atlanta?

CLEAR’s super-fast mobile Internet service works … Read the rest

Commercial WiMax Network coming to Silicon Valley

admin on April 14, 2009

WiMax will be commercially available with Clearwire in Silicon Valley in 2010, according to SiliconValley.com. The cities and total area to be covered by the system are still being worked out, said Todd Lewellen, market-launch director for Clearwire, but he said details about that should be made public in a few months.

Once connected to the mobile WiMAX service, “you can be on a bus, your kids can be in the back seat of a car watching their favorite video, there are just a lot of cool things you can do,” Lewellen said. Although the cost of the service in Silicon Valley hasn’t been determined yet, he said it probably would be comparable to the Wimax Network in Portland, Ore. where mobile service costs $30 a month. WiMax customers will need to buy an additional $49.95 network connector, which fits into a UBS port on their notebook unless the end point device has a built-in WiMAX adapter. The speeds offered by Fixed WiMAX would be comparable or better than the “business class” DSL service offered by 3G carriers in Silicon Valley .

In an effort to jump-start WiMax in Silicon Valley, long-time partners Google, Intel and Cisco announced along with Clearwire at the CTIA 2009 the deployment of a sandbox WiMAX Network covering the three companies’ campuses as part of its Southern Bay Area catchment region. The Intel and Google corporate campuses will get access to a limited version of the system covering about 20 square miles beginning in late summer, Lewellen said. He also added that Clearwire is considering providing the service to a local university, which he declined to name. Silicon Valley software developers are being encouraged to use the initial phase of the network this year so they can create intriguing video or other features to work on the network. The developers will be given free access to the system, but must buy the WiMax connecting device or a mobile gadget already equipped to run on WiMax.

Even thought Silicon Valley might seem a natural first choice to test such a network, Baltimore and Portland were chosen first because the Sprint Nextel unit that offered the service in Baltimore was based in that city and Intel, which has been testing WiMax for a couple of years, has a large corporate presence near Portland, said Lewellen.

Besides adding the service in Silicon Valley, Clearwire … Read the rest

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