Hasta La Gadget!

Sprint and Clearwire have characterized LTE as complimentary to WiMAX time and again, but if that doesn’t allay your suspicions of turncoat tactics in the wireless data space, take it from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse’s lips. “Our 4G strategy is WiMAX, full stop!” he told GigaOM, adding that LTE isn’t necessarily on Sprint’s roadmap. Quizzed about WiMAX partner Clearwire’s LTE trials, however, he dropped a very intriguing hint about the possible shape of phones to come: “We have so much spectrum that we decided to do tests so in case we have multi-modal phones with other air interfaces, we can add LTE on top of WiMAX and run both networks,” he told the publication. Dual-mode WiMAX / LTE smartphone, anyone?

Sprint CEO claims WiMAX is here to stay, says Clear’s LTE trials were for potential multi-mode phones originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, it looks like Sprint and Clearwire aren’t taking any chances when it comes to some of the new antitrust rules now in place. Clearwire has just announced that the three Sprint executives now on its board will be resigning out of an “abundance of caution” — that includes Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, along with division presidents Keith O. Cowan and Steven L. Elfman. Not many more details than that at the moment, but Sprint does still hang onto the right to appoint members to the Clearwire board, and the four Sprint appointees currently on the board will remain in place. As The Wall Street Journal notes, however, the move would seem to clear the way for Clearwire to potentially make another deal, although no one involved is saying anything publicly at the moment beyond what’s in the brief press release after the break.

Continue reading Sprint execs leave Clearwire board out of an ‘abundance of caution’

Sprint execs leave Clearwire board out of an ‘abundance of caution’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Got some Intel-powered WiMAX equipment, a Clear subscription, and a yearning to spend some time in Japan? Then we’ve got great news for you, sailor! Clearwire has just hooked up with UQ to provide Day Passes over in the land of earthquakes and sushi. These act as one-day roaming permits for your WiMAX needs, furnishing you with unlimited 4G access and costing a measly ¥600 ($7) a pop. So basically, it’s the Clear Rover gone international. Clearwire’s also talking business with other global partners and the ultimate idea seems to be for it to hook up with all the big WiMAX purveyors and set up an affordable 4G roaming network for its internationally minded customers. The full press release awaits after the break.

Continue reading Clearwire starts selling roaming WiMAX Day Passes in US and Japan, unlimited data awaits

Clearwire starts selling roaming WiMAX Day Passes in US and Japan, unlimited data awaits originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint and Clearwire’s WiMAX service has been making occasional cameos throughout the five boroughs since at least June, but now it’s official: the service has been launched, closing up one of the most conspicuous holes in coverage so far. This matches up nicely with the San Francisco go-live we reported on earlier today, so you’ll now be able to take your red eye from the Big Apple to the City by the Bay without fear that your EVO’s going to get slow when you go wheels-down. Plans run from $25 a month (for the iSpot) all the way up to $55 for a mixed-mode WiMAX and EV-DO data stick, which works out to somewhere between 0.00001 and 0.0003 percent of your housing costs in Manhattan. Glass is half full, y’know.

[Thanks, Marcus]

Update: We’ve just been contacted by Clear and told that New York’s still in the “operational readiness” phase of the go-live, which means hardware’s only being offered to customers in limited areas and not all hardware is available (notably, the iSpot isn’t yet being offered). Same goes for Los Angeles. San Francisco, meanwhile, isn’t yet there — we’re told there might be some limited pockets where service is showing up, but Clear hasn’t commercially launched there, even on a limited scale. For what it’s worth, all of these areas are still expected to go fully live in 2010, they’re just not quite there yet.

Clear WiMAX is live in New York City (updated: semi-live) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 18:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like New Yorkers may finally get 4G next month. The high-speed wireless network, run by Clearwire but also available from Sprint, Time Warner Cable and various other companies, has been up and down in New York City for weeks as Clearwire has been testing it, Sprint spokeswoman Stephanie Vinge told me on Twitter.

Walking through the Queens Center Mall today, though, I found a Clearwire store promising to open in September. They could open the store as an information kiosk without a network available, but it would help pay the rent if they could actually sell modems.

To double check, I emailed both Sprint and Clearwire. Clearwire spokeswoman Susan Johnston said, “In advance of Clearwire’s commercial 4G launches we
regularly conduct operational readiness activities, which include
preparing our local market retail presence.  These activities are
underway in a number of cities, including NYC.  As we stated during our
recent 2Q earnings call, we expect to launch commercial service in NYC
by the end of the year, but we are not providing additional details at
this time.”

Looks like some white paint at the Queens Center Mall may be providing additional details!