Filed under: Wireless

Sprint may have just launched the XOHM WiMAX network in Baltimore, but would-be merger partner Clearwire has been running its version of the mobile broadband service in Reno for a while, and InfoWorld went down to test it out and give us a taste of what to expect. Performance was good while not in motion, with downloads speeds around 1.5 to 2.0 Mbps and uploads hitting 275 to 325Kbps, but actually getting mobile broadband seems to be out of the question — the system simply couldn’t connect to a laptop moving in a car or on a train. That seems like a dealbreaker to us, but we’ll give it a pass for now since it’s so early in the game — we’ll see if Sprint can do better.

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Filed under: Wireless

The FCC doesn’t exactly have a track record of swiftness when it comes to reviewing mergers, but it looks like that little election thing might have lit a couple grey suits on fire — FCC chairman Kevin Martin says that the agency is aiming to finish looking over the Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel deals by the end of the year. That’s right before a new administration takes over and potentially gums up the process, so we’re guessing it’ll be approvals all around, since rejecting the bids would result in some fun lawsuits for everyone, but we’ll see how things shake out.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

In an apparent effort to make good on its claim of having WiMAX rolling in Baltimore this month, Sprint is reportedly going live with the service in the downtown area today. There’s no indication of when it’ll spread XOHM throughout Charm City, but we’re hearing that prices will start at $10 for a 24-hour unlimited pass and $35 for monthly service. Best of all, there won’t be any contracts necessarily attached, and WiMAX-friendly laptop cards will supposedly start at around $45. For any locals able to actually find one of these so-called aircards and hop on this elusive XOHM network today, be sure and let us know how it goes.

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Filed under: Wireless

Sprint’s XOHM WiMAX network is finally due out this month in the launch market of Baltimore, with Chicago and DC to follow, and the company is already working on the next phase of the rollout, which will bring the high-speed wireless service to Boston, Philadelphia, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Sprint says it’s already started installing WiMAX equipment in those three cities and that it’s a “month ahead of schedule,” but given the delays getting XOHM up and running in Baltimore, we’re not exactly certain the “schedule” really matters. Still, it’s good to hear that XOHM is growing up — now launch, already.

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Filed under: Wireless

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse spoke at NXTcomm08 today, and he let it slip that Sprint is planning on launching its first commercially-available WiMAX network in Baltimore in September, and expanding the trial service currently operating in Chicago and DC by the end of the year. We’re assuming that means Clearwire and not Sprint itself, of course, but Hesse also touched on the carrier’s WiMAX-based 4G strategy, saying that consumers “can’t seem to get enough data” and that devices like digital cameras and GPS systems will eventually connect to WiMAX directly — allowing Sprint to “break free of wireless cellphone group think.” Sure, whatever — but let’s get that network lit up before we start counting chickens, shall we?

[Via Phone Scoop]

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Filed under: Wireless

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Filed under: Wireless

As WiMax-powered 4G networks remain the stuff of holding companies and litigation, a group of providers have gotten together to form an (evil?) alliance that they say will help speed up both development and deployment. In other words, they want Qualcomm on board, which holds the juiciest 4G patents. The Open Patent Alliance (OPA) includes Intel, the recently-formed Clearwire, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Samsung, and Sprint. Similar to the Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NextWave Wireless, Nokia Siemens Networks, Sony Ericsson coalition that is backing Long Term Evolution, this WiMAX group looks poised to take on Qualcomm with some serious collective patents, boardroom politics, and investor cash. Meanwhile, Qualcomm is sitting in the corner saying, “We already have 4G, and it’s very nice.” This should be interesting. Stay tuned.

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Filed under: Wireless

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Filed under: Wireless

We’ve definitely heard this one before, but the buzz around a proposed $12B WiMAX partnership between Sprint, Clearwire, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Intel, and Google is deafening right now, all based on a report in the Wall Street Journal. The plan is for Sprint to merge its XOHM wireless broadband division with Clearwire, and then take a total of $3.2B in investments from a host of other players: $1.05B from Comcast, $1B from Intel, $550M from Time Warner Cable, $500M from Google, and $100M from Bright House. The resulting company will be worth some $12B, and the WSJ says investors have given their final approval for the deal — a rumor we’ve already heard with no meaningful result, so take it with a grain of salt. Or a whole salt lick, actually. We’re not certain why Big Cable is so eager to dump money on Sprint after two previous ventures both folded recently, but if this goes down, it’s a pretty big boost for WiMAX, which was looking pretty sickly lately. Still, asking consumers to have faith in Sprint and Comcast and Time Warner Cable is pretty ballsy — between the three of them, they’ve probably burned everyone in America. We’ll see where this goes — we should have something official pretty soon, according to the Journal.

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Filed under: Wireless

As unlikely as this sounds, rivals Time Warner Cable and Comcast are apparently in talks with Sprint and Clearwire over establishing a nationwide WiMAX network. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the companies are scrambling to get a deal wrapped up by CTIA — which takes place at the beginning of April — and could see an influx of cash from both Google and Intel in excess of $1 billion. It seems the odd-couple partners are keen to cut into heavyweights Verizon and AT&T’s ever-expanding range of at-home and mobile services by offering their own take on a high-speed data and voice system to consumers. Clearly this combination would deflate AT&T and Verizon’s big FCC bandwidth-nabs a little (and it explains why the cable players weren’t interested in the 700MHz auction), but it’s questionable whether this rag-tag team of wild card players would seriously court the public’s eye. They say America loves an underdog — even if it’s a gigantic, super-rich, corporate underdog.

[Via mocoNews]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

It seems that Sprint and Clearwire have been hooking up and breaking it off for nearly as long as Qualcomm and Nokia have been brawling, but just weeks after hearing that the two were on speaking terms once again, we’re now learning that a deal may be closer than ever. Reportedly, both firms are “close to announcing the formation of a WiMAX joint venture funded in part by a $2 billion injection from Intel,” and if the agreement is indeed landed within the next few days, it would “create a new company that combines Sprint’s licenses in the 2.5GHz wireless spectrum and Clearwire’s spectrum in the same and adjoining air waves.” On paper, the deal seems to make sense for all parties involved, but at this point, we aren’t about to assume that’s enough to actually see this thing through.

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Filed under: Wireless

Ready for untethered 3Mbps to 5Mbps downloads and 1Mbps to 1.5Mbps upload speeds while on the go? Us too, especially our Chicago-based brethren waiting for Sprint to properly soft-launch their Xohm service onto the nation. Backed by 50 or so WiMax exhibits with product on display at Mobile World Congress, Sprint’s VP for technology development, Ali Tabassi, assured us that April would indeed see the fledgling Xohm service soft launch into Chicago, Baltimore, and the DC areas. However, he conceded that the billions required to reach the goal of 100 million subscribers by year end have not been approved. Sprint would however at least cooperate with Clearwire — a former Xohm partner — on roaming agreements so that the two don’t duplicate coverage. Come on Sprint, we know it’s been tough for you lately as you bleed subscribers (and profits). But if you build it, we will come back.

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Filed under: Wireless

Hey, breaking up is hard to do — which is why we totally understand these reports that Sprint and Clearwire have been back in touch after two companies split back in November. Apparently all that interest in Clearwire from ICO, Amp’d, and DirecTV was enough to get Sprint back to the table, and Reuters is reporting that the new venture could see additional funding from Google and Best Buy to keep costs down. Still, we hate to see hearts break, and if this one doesn’t work out, well, maybe it’s time to set some boundaries, get some distance and seek out some new national telecom companies to partner with — you two deserve better than this.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

The deal seemed all but imminent back in July, but apparently, Sprint and Clearwire never actually signed a definitive agreement to cooperate on a WiMAX build-out. Now, it seems that Sprint is going down the same road it traversed this summer, as it looks for creative ways to handle its $5 billion WiMAX situation which it “remains committed to.” Aside from actively seeking a new CEO, higher-ups in the outfit are considering a potential merger with Clearwire, which would enable the resulting entity to be publicly traded. According to The Wall Street Journal, other options include seeking a “strategic investor for its WiMAX unit, acquiring Clearwire outright or formalizing the deal struck in July.” As it stands, however, it doesn’t look like any major WiMAX restructuring will take place until a new head honcho clocks in, but it was suggested that Sprint was in talks with Google to “carry devices based on Google’s new operating system,” which opens up a whole new can of worms…

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

The latest saviour of wireless broadband is at hand. Clearwire is finally shedding those clunky external modems, and is launching its very first pre-WiMAX data card to bring what it deems “True Broadband” to laptops. The PC card uses Motorola’s pre-WiMAX OFDM tech, and doesn’t require any extra power sources beyond your laptop’s own precious juice. If you’re luckily enough to be living in some random part of Clearwire’s primarily-podunk US coverage area, you can be getting some 1.5Mbps wireless internets for $59.99 a month, plus a $6.99 a month fee to lease the PC card. You can buy the card straight up for $230, but that seems a bit excessive given the “pre” nature of the thing at the moment.w

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!