Clearwire

New Clearwire announces 'Clear' brand

Jim Barthold — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:38:27 -0500

It's all clear sailing now for the new Clearwire. Having managed to solidify its merger with Sprint's Xohm business unit and hold on to $3.2 billion in investment money from Comcast, Time Warner, Bright House Networks, Intel and Google in tough economic times, the mobile WiMAX pioneer is ready to go to market with a service branded "Clear."

Clear, said Ben Wolff, Clearwire's CEO, "is a natural choice because it is a simple, commonly used word that has significance as it relates to communications services and, of course, it is part of our corporate name."

Wolff used a brief media conference call to clear up a few items that were outstanding as the new company formed from the fourth generation network operations of Sprint Nextel and the old Clearwire. First, he said, the new Clearwire is taking a lot of money from its investors but it has "very little in common with a joint venture (because) unlike most joint ventures Clearwire is independent from its major corporate shareholders."

Those shareholders will contribute to the company's coffers with cash and will be major wholesale customers but "they do not have the ability to direct the activities of the company nor is their approval required to undertake major business initiatives such as where or when we build our network or future capital raising activities," Wolff said.

Secondly, he said that while committed to WiMAX, Clearwire considers this an open marriage. In other words, if LTE comes to fruition several years down the road it would not necessarily remain monogamous.

"Mobile WiMAX and LTE have a lot in common--far more in common than either of these technologies have with today's 2G or 3G technologies," Wolff said. "Consumers really don't care about the technology."

Apparently, if push came to shove, neither does Clearwire since, according to Wolff, "if it makes sense for us to do so several years from now when LTE becomes commercially available" the carrier will go in two 4G technology directions.

Wolff was a little less clear about how the nationwide 4G rollout will proceed. The first mobile WiMAX market, Sprint's Xohm in Baltimore, will be rebranded as Clear. However, the 46 pre-WiMAX networks now operating under the Clearwire brand in the U.S. will continue to carry that name. The next city to come to market will be Portland, Ore.. where the first customers will come online this month with a full commercial launch early next year. "Several additional markets are in various stages of design, development and construction," Wolff said

These, of course, include existing Sprint markets that have been under way in the planning and development stages.

"At this point one of our most important tasks is to integrate these assets with ours," Wolff said. "We intend to share more details about our network expansion plans early next year after we've had an opportunity to meet with our new board to discuss our new products."

In the meantime, he said, Clearwire will "dedicate most of our focus" to building a common back office system and deploying new markets based on common infrastructure.

For more:
- see this news release

Related articles:
Clearwire Stockholders Approve Transaction to Combine Clearwire and Sprint's 4G Mobile WiMAX Business
FCC clears Sprint-Clearwire deal to create "new" Clearwire

Mobile satellite is making a comeback

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:53:37 -0500

Remember that series of financial disasters in the late 1990s for mobile satellite services (MSS) companies such as Iridium, Globalstar and ICO? Ten years later, and the industry appears to be headed for a resurrection, enabled by relaxed regulations, business plans, new satellites capable of offering broadband applications and a remedy to those clunky handsets that played a large role in the industry's downfall.

Several MSS companies are working to make MSS a consumer product in the next two years, and most are looking to the mobile broadband industry as a significant part of their businesses as the FCC now allows operators to utilize terrestrial partners.

And the crux of their plans is an announcement that flew somewhat under the radar in September. Qualcomm made a deal with ICO and Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) to put satellite and cellular phone technology into baseband chips embedded in multi-mode phones. This will both allow a wider consumer market to access satellite connectivity and enable handset makers to develop EVDO, WCDMA and LTE phones that are satellite-capable.

"That means that satellite-enabled chipsets are going to be available at no incremental cost," said Chris Gates, vice president of strategy with MSV. "The power of this can't be overstated. It means that satellite services can move cost effectively into the mass market with no impact on device form factor."

ICO has deployed a GEO satellite designed to deliver a satellite-hybrid terrestrial network using mobile TV technology DVB-SH. The company has begun market trials in Las Vegas and Raleigh-Durham with Clearwire to focus on increasing the value and cost effectiveness of delivering advanced interactive mobile video services.

"The amount of capacity that these networks lose by offering video over terrestrial networks is immense," said ICO CEO Tim Bryan. "Even if you have LTE or WiMAX it doesn't matter. There is a lot of capacity that is lost. It would be much more efficient to offer mobile video on a nationwide basis by offloading it to satellite and use the other capacity for data and other services."

MSS could also provide an avenue for terrestrial wireless broadband providers to expand their coverage. Globalstar recently won approval from the FCC to incorporate WiMAX in the ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) level with the help of terrestrial partner Open Range Communication. The two will offer WiMAX to more than 500 rural communities--with the help of a $267 million loan from the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Program. Globalstar said it will be looking for other partners too.

Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV), which already offers satellite telephony service to niche markets, plans to launch two new high-powered satellites capable of high-speed data with service available in 2010, but hasn't announced any terrestrial partners yet. According to Chris Gates, vice president of strategy with MSV, the satellite provider offers a significant advantage for terrestrial operators wanting to extend coverage and offload data traffic because it has access to a large swathe of spectrum via an agreement with Inmarsat, which gives it the ability to access up to 46 megahertz of spectrum, 40 megahertz for ATC services and 6 megahertz for MSS only services.

"That's an extraordinary amount of spectrum, about the size of the 700 MHz auction," Gates said. "We think there will be huge demand for additional spectrum as data becomes more and more important, and we're available in the near term."

In addition, MSV is targeting a host of markets: government, enterprise, telematics and mass consumer.

But it seems like the biggest hurdle to getting the message across that satellite operators make good partners for terrestrial network operators is the stigma associated with the failed business plans of the past. Bryan said that stigma is the reason ICO has been busy building its satellite capabilities and demonstrating what its services can do.

2009 should be an interesting year for the satellite industry. We could see some new and interesting partnerships--perhaps even one that creates a new nationwide 4G wireless network in the U.S. --Lynnette

Old Clearwire stockholders say OK to new Clearwire

Jim Barthold — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:39:59 -0500

Clearwire stockholders have waved goodbye to the old Clearwire and hello to a new Clearwire by approving a combination with Sprint Nextel's WiMAX business and a $3.2 billion investment from cable operators Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks along with Google and Intel.

Following a unanimous recommendation from Clearwire's board of directors, the stockholders voted for a "new" Clearwire which, under Sprint's direction, will develop a nationwide mobile WiMAX network.

The deal, which Clearwire CEO Benjamin Wolff in a news release called a "transformative step enabling an entirely new mobile Internet experience," already cleared regulatory hurdles, including getting FCC approval. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, everything is expected to close and the new company will be building WiMAX networks by the end of the year.

For more:
- see this news release

Related articles:
New Sprint-Clearwire deal a shot in the arm for mobile WiMAX
FCC approves Sprint-Clearwire WiMAX combo

Sprint to offer WiMAX consulting in India

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:24:19 -0500

Sprint Nextel's Xohm unit may establish a management company to develop WiMAX services for Indian operators, and to take advantage of the Indian government's favorable view of the 4G technology.

Xohm is set to merge with Clearwire Corp. to form the "new" Clearwire, which has a $3.2 billion capital investment from companies such as Intel, Google and Comcast. Clearwire shareholders are set to vote on the move today, which was granted regulatory approval by the FCC earlier this month.

"India is an important market and we would look at expanding WiMAX coverage there. We are looking at forming a management company to bring together various stakeholders, including license holders, investors and those with management skills," Xohm's President Barry West said. India is planning a WiMAX spectrum auction in January 2009, and the government has indicated it will auction spectrum in the 2.3GHz-2.4GHz range in blocks of 20MHz each.

Sprint is currently working with Indian operators, including Tata Communications, Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and Reliance Communications to develop and expand their WiMAX offerings and may also be considering bidding on WiMAX spectrum itself.

For more:
- see this article
- see this article on the spectrum issue

Related Articles:
Clearwire shareholders to vote on merger Nov. 20
FCC clears Sprint-Clearwire deal to create "new" Clearwire

iPCS thwarted; Sprint can move ahead with Clearwire

Jim Barthold — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:22:29 -0500

The new Clearwire is back on track to become the nation's largest (only?) mobile WiMAX network thanks to an Illinois circuit court that removed a roadblock being sought by Sprint's largest independent wireless affiliate.

Sprint affiliate iPCS had sought a temporary restraining order to block the formation of the WiMAX joint venture that would merge Sprint 's Xohm WiMAX network with the old Clearwire and include $3.2 billion in funding from Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House Networks along with Google and Intel. The court said that the restraining order was a no-go but gave iPCS the right to re-file. It could be an uphill battle, since the deal this month received unanimous FCC approval and is only awaiting Clearwire shareholders' OK to close by the end of the year.

iPCS claimed that the new Clearwire would violate affiliation agreements by creating competition for affiliates which resell Sprint services even though Sprint has said it would not infringe on iPCS territory before July 1 and would notify the affiliate 60 days before launch.

For more:
- see this article

Related stories:
iPCS files emergency motion to block Sprint/Clearwire deal
Court halts Sprint-iPCS suit over WiMAX

What will a new FCC look like?

Lynnette Luna — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:23:49 -0500

Chalk one up for FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. He managed to cross some high-profile initiatives off his to-do list before his tenure as chairman is likely up once President-elect Barack Obama takes office.

Back in August, it was looking doubtful that the commission was going to rule on a number of key issues that impact the future of broadband wireless. Yet earlier this month Martin and company approved the use of white-space devices for super-WiFi services amid a flurry of lobbying both for and against the initiative. It okayed the New Clearwire deal, which involves Sprint pooling its WiMAX assets with Clearwire with the help of millions from Intel, Google and cable operators to roll out a nationwide mobile broadband network. And it approved Verizon Wireless' $28.1-billion proposed buyout of Alltel to create the nation's largest operator.

The other major wireless initiatives left on the table are the auction of spectrum in the AWS-3 band and a re-auction of the 700 MHz D-block. The AWS-3 auction would require the licensee to dedicate 25 percent of its network capacity to free broadband service, install a network-based Internet filtering system to block pornography and allow open access to third-party devices and applications. Again, the commission is facing some stiff opposition to the plan from operators such as T-Mobile that worry about interference with the AWS-1 band, but the FCC's own engineering studies show that AWS-3 and AWS-1 networks can safely co-exist.

Will Martin be able to stay to see them through? Martin has hinted to the fact that he may stay on at least through the digital TV transition in February. Whether he stays permanently or retains his chairmanship is of course questionable now that Democrat President-elect Barack Obama is taking office. However, it didn't seem like Martin did all that much to anger Democrats. In fact, Democrats generally support his AWS-3 auction plan and the idea of wireless broadband bridging that pesky Digital Divide. He also recently sided with Democratic FCC commissioners to eke out a 3-2 vote to punish cable TV giant Comcast for blocking file-sharing traffic.

Yet, President-elect Obama's campaign was based on change, and change is what the FCC will likely get. Right now a host of names are floating around as potential successors and commissioners. And if the FCC sees a major shake-up you can guarantee an industry shake-up, and incumbent operators will be fighting about more than just whether proposed wireless broadband initiatives interfere with their operations. Everything from revisiting the spectrum cap to stricter merger scrutiny to forced open access among all operators could be on the table, according to industry pundits. And you thought white spaces and a free broadband plans were radical. --Lynnette

Craig McCaw - Top U.S. Wireless Innovators of All Time

Sue Marek — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:28:06 -0500

Considered one of the most intriguing wireless entrepreneurs, Craig McCaw started his career in the cable business, taking over from his father after his death when McCaw was just 19 years old. In 1981, McCaw started researching the cellular telephone market and began bidding on cellular phone licenses. He and his brothers purchased spectrum licenses and built the early cell phone giant McCaw Cellular, which they sold to AT&T in 1993 for $11.5 billion.

After selling McCaw Cellular, McCaw remained very involved in several wireless ventures including satellite firm Teledesic and Nextel Communications. In 2003, he founded wireless broadband firm Clearwire, which is in the process of merging with Sprint's WiMAX business to form the "new" Clearwire along with an infusion of $3.2 billion in capital from such players as Google, Intel, Comcast and others.

Clearwire shareholders to vote on merger Nov. 20

Sue Marek — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:03:19 -0500

During Clearwire's third quarter earnings call with analysts this morning, CEO Ben Wolff said that shareholders will vote Nov. 20 on the whether or not to approve the firm's merger with Sprint's WiMAX business. Wolff says that the merger is still on track for a year-end close pending the shareholder vote and some other administrative items.

Wolff reiterated that once the merger closes the expected infusion of $3.2 billion in capital from Google, Intel, Comcast and others will give Clearwire the resources to launch new markets and covert its existing pre-WiMAX markets to mobile WiMAX. The company had third quarter service revenue of $60.8 million up from $41.3 million in third quarter 2007. The company also had a net loss of $166.6 million compared to a net loss of $328.6 million in the same quarter the previous year. Here's a rundown of the other key metrics:

Subscribers: At the end of third quarter Clearwire had 469,000 subscribers, up from 348,000 in third quarter 2007. However, the company only added 8,300 net new customers during the quarter. Wolff said the firm's growth flattened as the company prepares to move from pre-WiMAX to mobile WiMAX.

ARPU: Average revenue per user was $40.43, up from $37.41 in the prior year. Wolff said the ARPU increase was due to adjustments in pricing and premium plans.

Churn: Churn was 3 percent in third quarter up from 2.3 percent in the previous year and compared to 2.6 percent in second quarter 2008. Clearwire said the increase in churn was due to a reduction of sales and marketing and it expects this trend to continue because of the macroeconomic climate.

White space spectrum: Wolff said that the company may explore opportunities with white space spectrum, particularly in rural areas.

For more:
- see this press release

Related articles:
Clearwire posts Q2 loss, says Clearwire/Sprint merger on target
FCC approves Sprint-Clearwire WiMAX combo

FCC clears Sprint-Clearwire deal to create "new" Clearwire

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:45:39 -0500

WASHINGTON-- The FCC approved the merger of Sprint Nextel's Xohm WiMAX business with the Clearwire Corp. to create the new Clearwire, saying that it would foster competition in the mobile broadband arena and accelerate buildout of advanced technologies.

The FCC voted unanimously to approve the deal on the basis that no competitive harm would result from the deal, since Clearwire is not a competitor of Sprint Nextel and the WiMAX technology the new company will use will compete with incumbent wireless players.

Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate said the competitive analysis of the deal was straightforward and that the new company "could be a textbook example of the new third pipe we have been looking for."

Sprint and Clearwire Corp. announced in May that Sprint would be merging its Xohm business with Clearwire to create a new company. The new company, also called Clearwire, will have a $3.2 billion investment from Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Trilogy Equity Partners.

The deal is complex and has many moving parts. Sprint will contribute its 2.5 GHz spectrum to the new company in exchange for an ownership stake, and though it will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, it will have a say in the company's portfolio and roll-out strategy. Current Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff will retain that title, and Barry West, the president of Xohm, will be the Clearwire's president. The company will be headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., with a satellite office in Herndon, Va., for research and development.

Sprint and Clearwire had been looking forward to the decision for months. Wolff said last month that he expected the deal to pass and saw no reason why it wouldn't. "If you take a look at what the merger transaction accomplishes, it really accomplishes so many of the major policy objectives that both Democrats and Republicans on the Hill have had as well as at the FCC," he said Oct. 15 during FierceWireless' virtual event, The Future of 4G. "It's frankly hard to find fault with the transaction from a regulatory perspective."

Related Articles:
Introducing the "new" Clearwire
FCC to vote on Verizon-Alltel, Sprint-Clearwire mergers
Curious about Clearwire?
Are Kevin Martin's wireless broadband dreams in peril?

iPCS files emergency motion to block Sprint/Clearwire deal

Sue Marek — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:17:18 -0500

Affiliate carrier iPCS continues to be a thorn in Sprint Nextel's side. The company filed an emergency motion for preliminary injunction in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., to prevent Sprint from completing its proposed merger of the Xohm WiMAX network with Clearwire to form the "new" Clearwire (along with a $3.2 billion investment from Google, Intel, Comcast and others). The FCC is supposed to vote on the proposed merger today.

iPCS' legal maneuvering is causing speculation that Sprint Nextel may be ponying up to purchase the affiliate to make this battle go away. iPCS filed a lawsuit on May 12 against Sprint claiming that the WiMAX deal with Clearwire violates an agreement iPCS has with Sprint giving it exclusive rights to provide wireless service in its territory. So far the courts have sided with iPCS. In mid-September, a Cook County, Ill. judge refused to dismiss the lawsuit brought by iPCS against Sprint and said that Sprint would have to disconnect its iDEN network in iPCS territories.

Sprint has purchased other affiliates including Alamosa PCS and Ubiquitel. iPCS is currently its largest remaining affiliate with 654,000 subscribers.

For more:
- see this article
- see this article

Related articles:
Judge refuses to dismiss iPCS lawsuit against Sprint
Court halts Sprint-iPCS suit over WiMAX

Sprint CEO says wireless industry resilient to economic downturn

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:42:12 -0400

Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse said he expected there to be 140 million potential U.S. WiMAX users by 2010, and said the wireless industry would weather the current economic storm at a luncheon Friday hosted by the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

After going through a history of the industry and where it is now, Hesse focused much of his remarks on WiMAX and 4G, literally knocking on wood that the Sprint-Clearwire deal to create the new Clearwire company would get regulatory approval and close by the end of the year. The Federal Communications Commission is expected to vote on the deal at its Nov. 4 meeting.

He said Sprint chose WiMAX as a 4G standard because it is "available now and our customers want 4G now."

"4G is here and the speed is real," he said. He also emphasized the way that, as opposed to Long Term Evolution (LTE) adoption proposed by Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility, WiMAX would disentangle service from devices and give customers more flexibility. One of the ways in which he said Sprint hoped to minimize the market penetration of LTE was that, simply, they were getting WiMAX out now. The company has deployed WiMAX in Baltimore and plans to deploy it in Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., pending the close of the deal.

"By 2010, we expect WiMAX service, 4G, to serve approximately 140 million people nationwide," he said.

After another tumultuous week in the financial markets, Hesse also addressed concerns about how the downturn in the economy would affect the wireless industry. He said he was thankful that the industry was so resilient. Had this happened five or 10 years ago, people would have viewed wireless as a luxury that they could get rid of, he said. He added that the industry will probably see a decrease in enterprise subscribers as businesses lay off workers, but said that Sprint was in a good position because it was "cash-flow positive."

"We have more money coming in than going out," he said. "As long as that's the case, we'll be OK."

However, Hesse said equipment makers would probably suffer the most as carriers cut back on capital expenditures.

Picking at another bone of contention, Hesse emphasized Sprint's continued support of Nextel and the iDEN network, and said the network is performing at its best levels ever. In addition, the company is rolling out new iDEN devices, such as the BlackBerry Curve 8350i.

Eleven days before the presidential election, Hesse also dabbled in politics slightly, and when asked what he would like to see the next president do to push rural broadband access, he quipped, half-jokingly, "Subsidies for WiMAX deployment."

He said, more seriously, that there will have to be a public-private partnership involving subsidies and incentives.

Related Articles:
Dan Hesse steers Sprint through choppy waters
5. Dan Hesse, one of the most powerful people in Wireless

Sprint Nextel makes two changes to its board

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:42:32 -0400

Sprint Nextel announced two changes to its board of directors Friday, naming Sven-Christer Nilsson to the board and announcing the resignation of Ralph Whitworth from the board.

Nilsson was the CEO of the Ericsson Group from 1998 to 1999 and has been in the industry for more than 30 years. He will be on the board until the 2009 annual meeting, when he will be nominated for re-election by shareholders. Whitworth, the founder and principal of Relational Investors, had joined the board in February.

The moves come just ahead of a Federal Communications Commission vote on Nov. 4 on the proposed Sprint-Clearwire merger to create the new Clearwire.

For more:
- see this release

Related Articles:
Sprint board member resigns
Sprint, Clearwire ponder options

Sprint to release four One Click phones next week

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:12:05 -0400

Sprint Nextel will release four handsets next week running with its One Click technology. One Click gives the consumer the ability to have favorite applications in the phone's standby screen.

Kevin Packingham, Sprint's senior vice president, product and technology development, said in a conference call for industry analysts yesterday that the carrier would be releasing the phones next week. Sprint unveiled One Click at the CTIA Wireless and Entertainment Conference in San Francisco in September. The technology produces "tiles" on a phone's standby screen and give users one-touch access to any of the phone's features. Sprint had previously announced that One Click would be available on the LG Lotus, Samsung Rant and Samsung Highnote.

Packingham talked specifically about a Google tile allowing a user to access YouTube, GMail and Google Maps. "It's not the Sprint experience that we're giving these customers access to, it's the Google experience that they're used to," he said. "You're not just setting a screensaver. You're making decisions on what kind of content and data is important to you."

In discussing Sprint's idea of what an "open" network meant, Packingham also talked about the possibility of handoffs between Sprint's 3G CDMA network and potentially a WiMAX connection that would be available if the deal between Clearwire and Sprint goes through this year to create the new Clearwire.

"If we believe in this open ecosystem environment that we are trying to create it allows us to take a platform approach that is very network agnostic," he said. "I can shift between by CDMA and WiMAX, the Touch Pro or new the BlackBerry. There is a platform capability that allows me to leverage the best network that I have."

For more:
- see this slideshow of One Click phone pics
-see this CNET review of the Samsung Highnote

Related Articles:
Sprint introduces One Click
Sprint expands partnership with Google

8. Barry West, President, Sprint Nextel's Xohm business unit, Future president of the new Clearwire

Sue Marek — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:56:07 -0400

What makes him so powerful: Long before Sprint merged with Nextel and way before the mobile WiMAX vs. LTE debate started, Barry West, then CTO of Nextel, had a vision. He wanted to offer consumers broadband data at the low cost of 1 Gb of data per user per month for $20 per month or less. West first started talking about this vision in 2004 right after Nextel purchased the wireless broadband MMDS (multichannel multipoint distribution services) spectrum assets from WorldCom for $144 million and from Nucentrix Broadband Networks for $51 million and he has not wavered since. West and his team tested a variety of technologies in hopes of finding one that fit his requirements. The winner, of course, was mobile WiMAX.

But West is no stranger to championing technologies long before there are believers. He was instrumental in creating iDEN, the push-to-talk technology platform that Nextel made a success with enterprises and public safety prior to the merger with Sprint. He also spent more than 35 years working for British Telecom and oversaw the rollout of a GSM in the U.K.

West has been a tireless champion of WiMAX and he has faced some formidable challenges. When Sprint CEO Gary Forsee resigned in 2007, Sprint reportedly had lots of pressure from investors to halt or slow its $5 billion WiMAX strategy. Sprint also had a false start with Clearwire, announcing in July 2007 that Sprint and Clearwire would jointly construct their WiMAX networks and eventually sell the services under one brand. That short-lived venture fell apart in November 2007 only to re-emerge in May 2008 as a totally new deal. Called the "new Clearwire" Sprint and Clearwire will combine their WiMAX businesses and create a new company that will include a $3.2 billion investment from Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Trilogy Equity Partners. The deal is set to close by year-end.

In the meantime, West is basking in the glory of having the first Xohm WiMAX market commercially deployed. Earlier this month West and many other early believers in WiMAX gathered in Baltimore to debut the service. Although WiMAX and the Sprint Xohm network are still in the early stages, West has proven that he has the perseverance and persistence to not only turn a vision into reality, but also to convince some powerful players to join him on his quest.

FCC to vote on Verizon-Alltel, Sprint-Clearwire mergers

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:13:19 -0400

The FCC is expected to vote on the proposed $28.1 billion Verizon Wireless-Alltel merger as well as the Sprint-Clearwire deal, which will create the new Clearwire, when it meets on Nov. 4.

These proposed mergers have been in the regulatory pipeline for months. The Clearwire deal, a merger of the current Clearwire and Sprint's Xohm business, will create a new WiMAX service provider. The proposed partnership has a $3.2 billion investment backing from numerous companies, including Google, Intel, Time Warner, Comcast and others.

Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff said he expected the deal to pass and saw no reason why it wouldn't. "If you take a look at what the merger transaction accomplishes, it really accomplishes so many of the major policy objectives that both Democrats and Republicans on the Hill have had as well as at the FCC," he said Wednesday at FierceWireless' virtual event, The Future of 4G. "It's frankly hard to find fault with the transaction from a regulatory perspective."

Wolff said the new company will foster nationwide broadband access and will help the United States catch up to other companies that have been offering similar services for years.

"I don't think we've expected anything but a regulatory review and approval sometime in the fourth quarter time-frame, so from my perspective everything is on track," he said.

For more:
- see this article
- click here to access coverage of the 4G event

Related Articles:
Xohm founders celebrate WiMAX in Baltimore
Wolff outlines top management for "new" Clearwire

19. Sean Maloney, EVP, chief sales and marketing officer, Intel

Sue Marek — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:11:37 -0400

What makes him powerful: Since joining Intel in 1982, Maloney has risen through the ranks at the silicon maker and is widely known as being one of Intel's most aggressive and effective managers. Maloney started his Intel career in its European headquarters where he spent nine years, first as Intel UK's manager of applications engineering, then as country manager of Intel UK, and director of marketing for Intel Europe. He worked for Intel in Hong Kong and then in 1998 returned to the U.S. where he headed up Intel's worldwide sales.

Because of his reputation for being a problem-solver and a troubleshooter, it's no surprise that Maloney has become Intel's biggest champion of WiMAX, which he envisions being incorporated in laptops and other devices worldwide.

Maloney believes that much of Intel's future rests on the success of WiMAX and just as the company championed WiFi in the late 1990s and early 2000, the company is doing the same with WiMAX.

Earlier this year Intel joined a powerful group of investors that includes Comcast, Google, Time Warner Cable and others to invest $3.2 billion in the new Clearwire venture which is a combination of Sprint and Clearwire's WiMAX businesses. That deal is supposed to close by year-end.

Maloney did stir up some controversy earlier this year when he was quoted as saying that WiMAX and LTE should be harmonized because the two technologies are 80 percent similar. Although many other technology experts have noted the similarity between the two technologies, Maloney's comments drew some fire from critics who saw it as a sign that Intel was already plotting an exit strategy in case WiMAX wasn't a success.

But that move seems unlikely and Maloney was on hand in Baltimore earlier this month to celebrate Sprint's launch of Xohm mobile WiMAX service.

Expect Maloney to continue to play a big role in WiMAX's future and to be instrumental in getting mobile WiMAX chipsets incorporated into laptops and more.

Laptop lineup for Sprint's WiMAX service unveiled

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:53:21 -0400

When Barry West, the president of the Xohm Business Unit for Sprint Nextel, presented Xohm's WiMAX service at a Baltimore launch event last week, he said there were going to be about a dozen laptops with WiMAX capabilities by December and that there were 20 devices in the pipeline.

Those devices have been unveiled, in a report posted on Publish.com. The line of laptops running on Sprint's WiMAX service include two Acer Aspire models, three from Asus, a slew of Lenovo Thinkpad models and Toshiba's Satellite U405-ST550W model. All of these were confirmed by an Intel spokeswoman. Intel is one of the investors in the new Clearwire, which was announce last May and is expected to close at year-end. The new Clearwire will be a joint venture between the existing Clearwire and Sprint Nextel's WiMAX business with a $3.2 billion investment from Google, Intel, Comcast, Time Warner and others.

The report also said that Dell's Latitude "E" line will run on WiMAX. The Intel spokeswoman said Dell has not said what specific laptops will run on WiMAX, and has only expressed general support for the technology.

For more:
- see this article
- see these pics of some of the announced WiMAX laptops

Related Articles:
Xohm founders celebrate WiMAX in Baltimore
Live from WiMAX World: 133M WiMAX users by 2012

Court halts Sprint-iPCS suit over WiMAX

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:10:45 -0400

Sprint affiliate iPCS claimed a legal victory after the Delaware Chancery Court stayed a lawsuit there pending the outcome of litigation between iPCS and Sprint in Illinois.

Schaumburg, Ill.-based iPCS and Sprint have been involved in litigation for months over Sprint's decision to merge its WiMAX business with Clearwire Corp. iPCS contends the move will violate exclusivity agreements it has with Sprint in certain areas in the Midwest, including in Illinois.

In mid-September, a Cook County, Ill. judge refused to dismiss the lawsuit brought by iPCS against Sprint there. In July, the Delaware court had allowed Sprint to go ahead and determine whether or not the deal would violate an exclusivity agreements. That now appears to have been put on hold.

Sprint is hoping the Clearwire deal, which has financial backing from large players such as Comcast, Intel and Google, will be finalized by the end of the year.

For more:
- see this article

Related Articles:
Judge refuses to dismiss iPCS lawsuit against Sprint
Sprint affiliates battle Clearwire JV

Live from WiMAX World: 133M WiMAX users by 2012

Sue Marek — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:32:55 -0400

CHICAGO-- The U.S. economy may be in shambles but that didn't deter swarms of WiMAX proponents from converging in Chicago for the 5th Annual WiMAX World conference. During the opening session, WiMAX Forum President Ron Resnick touted the progress WiMAX has made in various markets, saying that more than 100 networks worldwide are in commercial deployment. He also said that the industry group predicts there will be 133 million WiMAX users by 2012.

But he noted that there are some challenges ahead--particularly roaming. The WiMAX Forum has been working on this issue and Resnick said the group will introduce a roaming readiness program in December where it will work in conjunction with roaming clearinghouses (such as iPass) to develop roaming specifications for all WiMAX operators.

WiMAX may have had great growth overseas but all eyes at the conference are on the U.S. WiMAX players. In particular Clearwire, which earlier this year announced a joint venture with Sprint's WiMAX business to create the "new" Clearwire. That joint venture is expected to close by year-end. Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff told the WiMAX World audience this morning that his company currently covers 16 million POPs and has about 500,000 subscribers using its "pre-WiMAX" service. He added that nearly one-third of those customers have access to cable and DSL and that about 20 percent still keep their wireline broadband service even though they are subscribing to Clearwire.

He described the company's future relationship with cable companies such as Comcast and Time Warner (both of which are investors in the "new" Clearwire) as being both competitors and collaborators. "They will resell services to their customers and so will we," Wolff said.

Like Time Warner and Comcast, Google is also an investor in the new Clearwire. Wolff said that he envisions Clearwire taking advantage of that relationship by using the Android platform in its devices. "We will embrace this platform," he said. In addition, he said that Clearwire will likely take advantage of Google's search platform and advertising model.

On the Hot Seat with Cablevision's Kevin Curran

Jim Barthold — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:31:40 -0400

Cable operator Cablevision has taken a different tactic when it comes to offering broadband wireless to its customers. While its counterparts such as Comcast and Time Warner decided to invest in the Sprint-Clearwire joint venture, Cablevision announced earlier this year that it would spend more than $300 million to rollout WiFi in New York and Long Island. Jim Barthold, contributing editor to FierceWireless, recently had this exchange with Kevin Curran, Cablevision's senior vice president of wireless product development.

Fierce Wireless: You've chosen WiFi instead of WiMAX like many of your counterparts. Why?

Kevin Curran: As we've said, our WiFi strategy is a here-and-now strategy to provide very high-speed data to our customers. Between 75 and 80 percent of all high-speed data users in our footprint are on our network, in the New York metropolitan region. So we have a very high market share, and a very fast network, and we think all of these factors and the proliferation of WiFi-enabled devices puts us in a position to deliver a meaningful enhancement to our high-speed Internet service today.

FierceWireless: How is your WiFi deployment progressing?

Curran: We announced earlier in the month that we had already deployed the largest and most advanced WiFi network in the country, with service now active in the commercial and high-traffic areas across a significant portion of Long Island, including on the commuter rail platforms and station parking lots across the entire Island.

FierceWireless: You currently offer WiFi free to existing broadband customers. Is that the long-term strategy or do you start to break it down into usage and/or tiers of service?

Curran: We're deploying Optimum WiFi as a value-add for our Optimum Online high-speed Internet customers.

FierceWireless: You're spending $300 million on the deployment. How do you recoup the costs if you offer it for free?

Curran: Our strategy is to both attract new customers by making our Internet service even more valuable, and to cement our relationships with existing customers for the long haul through enhancements like Optimum WiFi. We believe free and broadly available WiFi access will become an important and popular enhancement for our Optimum Online customers.

FierceWireless: You've been quoted saying you will offer other services including voice and video over WiFi network. Is there a timetable for these services? Can you give us more details on the types of services you mean?

Curran: We haven't discussed a specific timetable beyond the two-year deployment of the WiFi service itself, but ultimately the wireless network we're building is capable of voice and video, it has all the functionality of our DOCSIS high-speed network, so we'll be able to add tremendous value to our overall consumer proposition relatively inexpensively on a per-subscriber basis.

FierceWireless: Will your WiFi be part of a residential/commercial services play or is this just for residential users?

Curran: Optimum WiFi is an extension of our Optimum Online high-speed Internet product, which serves both residential and small business customers. Anyone with an Optimum Online user ID and password can access the network.