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Even though Sprint owns nearly half of Clearwire and is using Clear's WiMAX network for their own 4G offering, Sprint has not been able to offer their "Sprint 4G" service in all of the Clear-covered markets right away. While Clear has had WiMAX in several cities for a couple of months, Sprint's 4G has been available in Baltimore only. Finally, as of today, Sprint 4G is now available in three more markets: Atlanta, Portland, and Las Vegas!

Sprint currently only has one 4G device (the dual-mode 3G/4G Franklin U300) with which to take advantage of the expanded service, but has promised a 4G-only device, a 4G-capable phone, and 4G laptop in 2010. If all goes according to plan, Clearwire (and thus Sprint) will be expanding the 4G network to many more markets in 2009 and 2010, including Chicago, IL; Dallas, Ft. Worth, Philadelphia, PA; Austin, Texas; Abilene, Texas; Amarillo, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Bellingham, Wash.; Charlotte, N.C.; Corpus Christi, Texas; Greensboro, N.C.; Honolulu, HI; Killeen-Temple, Texas; Lubbock, Texas; Maui, Hawaii; Midland-Odessa, Texas; Raleigh, N.C.; Salem, Ore.; San Antonio, Texas; Seattle, WA: Waco, Texas; and Wichita Falls, Texas, Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Discuss the Sprint launch on the 4G forums

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Aug. 14 -- Verizon Wireless today completed its first successful Long Term Evolution (LTE) fourth generation (4G) data call in Boston based on the 3GPP Release 8 standard; the company also announced today that it had earlier completed the first LTE 4G data call based on the 3GPP Release 8 standard in Seattle. The successful data calls involved streaming video, file uploads and downloads, and Web browsing. Significantly, Verizon Wireless has successfully made data calls using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to enable voice transmissions over the LTE 4G network.

In collaboration with its network infrastructure providers, the wireless leader's successful completion of the data calls over its 700 MHz spectrum in Boston and Seattle marks the next step in its deployment for building its LTE 4G wireless network, which is being built on the 3GPP Release 8 standard. In both locations, the data calls were executed on commercial infrastructure platforms.

Technology partners helping to enable data calls in these initial markets include Alcatel-Lucent (Boston) and Ericsson (Seattle) for base station/radio access network, LG and Samsung for trial devices, and Starent Networks and Nokia Siemens Networks for network equipment. Devices from LG and Samsung will soon be supplemented by devices from ST-Ericsson, Motorola and Qualcomm.

Tony Melone, senior vice president and chief technical officer at Verizon Wireless, said, "Verizon Wireless, with outstanding cooperation from our partner suppliers, is fully committed to harnessing the power of LTE over our 700 MHz spectrum. This combination of state-of-the-art technology and prime spectrum will soon make a ubiquitous, highly mobile, super-fast broadband experience a reality for customers. This significant milestone in our LTE 4G network testing, exemplified by the first data calls in Boston and Seattle, further validates our early support and decision to select LTE as the standard for our next-generation wireless broadband network."

Boston and Seattle each now have 10 LTE 4G cell sites up and running on the 700 MHz spectrum. These LTE 4G markets were selected by network planners due to their geographic configuration of suburban and urban areas as well as the areas' high-technology population. The trials will help Verizon Wireless and its LTE 4G network partners understand issues that include how to best prepare cell sites and how to add the new technology to the network.

Verizon Wireless expects to commercially launch its LTE 4G network in up to 30 markets in 2010, covering 100 million people. In subsequent years, an equally aggressive growth plan will result in full nationwide coverage in 2013.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Sprint, the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, is extending its 4G leadership by launching the next-generation service across the country. Today, it announced the addition of 17 new markets to its national Sprint 4G roll-out plans. These additional markets join the previously announced markets of Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas-Fort Worth; Honolulu; Las Vegas; Portland, Ore.; Philadelphia and Seattle.

The new additions for 2009 are: Abilene, Texas; Amarillo, Texas; Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Bellingham, Wash.; Charlotte, N.C.; Corpus Christi, Texas; Greensboro, N.C.; Killeen-Temple, Texas; Lubbock, Texas; Maui, Hawaii; Midland-Odessa, Texas; Raleigh, N.C.; Salem, Ore.; San Antonio, Texas; Waco, Texas; and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Sprint also expects to launch service in multiple markets in 2010, including Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

These markets will join Baltimore, where Sprint made history when it launched 4G in September 2008. As previously announced, Sprint 4G is scheduled for an August 2009 launch in Atlanta, Las Vegas and Portland, making the cities among the first in America to experience the lightning-fast speeds of the first wireless mobile 4G network from a national carrier. Additional information about launch plans and services in those cities will be announced soon.

Sprint 4G offers turbo-charged mobile broadband – with peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps and average downlink speeds of 3-6 Mbps. Sprint 4G speeds and capabilities are three to five times faster than the 3G service offered by any national wireless carrier today, based on average download speeds.

 

 

After already launching their 4G offering in Portland and Atlanta, Comcast has officially announced plans to sell its Comcast 2Go mobile internet service on Clearwire's network in Chicago and Philadelphia this year. Comcast, who has invested heavily in Clearwire, has had great success with its Comcast 2Go 4G service in its first two markets already.

If Clearwire's other partners continue the trend, by the end of the year, 4G service on the Clearwire network will be available from 3 different carriers (Sprint, Clear, and Comcast) in Chicago and Philadelphia this year. We expect the trend to continue as it has in other markets, that there will be a pre-launch release, followed later by a public launch combined with the opening of, and availability of products in retail stores

After a long year of waiting for Clearwire to expand out of their "home base" of Portland, they finally began offering their Clear WiMAX service in Atlanta and Las Vegas this summer. It seemed like the slow rate of expansion was going to leave many would-be WiMAX adopters waiting for a long time, but this week Clearwire announced that they will be expanding to a total of 11 US markets by September first!

An excerpt from the official press release from Clearwire:

KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clearwire Communications, LLC, an operating subsidiary of Clearwire Corporation, (NASDAQ:CLWR - News) today announced the official launch day of CLEAR™ 4G service in Boise, Idaho; Bellingham, Wash.; and eight markets throughout Texas, including: Abilene, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, Killeen/Temple, Waco and Wichita Falls will occur on September 1, 2009. CLEAR offers the first super fast mobile Internet service that works as fast on the go as it does at home. Customers in these new markets interested in experiencing CLEAR today can activate service now via clear.com.

Clearwire will celebrate the official launches in each market with local events, retail store openings, ad campaigns and promotional offers throughout the fall.

A CLEAR Difference

CLEAR offers the first super fast mobile Internet service that works as fast on the go as it does at home. Unlike other wireless services, CLEAR delivers a mobile broadband internet experience on par with speeds typically experienced only on wired connections, like DSL.

The CLEAR customer experience is similar to that provided by Wi-Fi, but without the short range limitations of a traditional hot spot. CLEAR uses a 4G technology that differs from Wi-Fi called WiMAX, which provides service areas measured in miles, not feet.

Clearwire's 4G network is now available in four markets, with the expected September 1^st launches adding an additional 10 markets, and the company plans to bring CLEAR to 80 markets covering up to 120 million people by the end of 2010. In addition to the markets announced today, consumers and businesses can now purchase the company’s 4G services online and at various retail locations in Atlanta; Baltimore; Las Vegas and Portland, Oregon.

Some of the additional markets planned to launch in 2009 include Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia and Seattle. In 2010, Clearwire plans to launch 4G service in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston and the San Francisco Bay Area among others.

Discuss Clearwire's expansion on the 4G Forums

After reporting yesterday that Comcast is now re-selling Clear's WiMAX service in both Portland and Atlanta, we mentioned that it would be interesting to see if other companies would follow suit and partner with Clearwire to offer WiMAX, too. We got our answer very quickly, as Time Warner Cable has announced that they too will be reselling WiMAX service later this year in two of its markets. Once Clearwire launches their Clear WiMAX network in Charlotte, NC and Dallas, TX later this year, Time Warner plans to use that network to offer 4G service to their customers in both of those markets.

Since Clear hasn't even launched in those cities yet, there are not many details to announce about Time Warner's 4G plans at this time. Since Time Warner is a cable and home internet provider, it is likely that they will offer 4G as part of a bundle or package with their other services, but we will find out more when Charlotte and Dallas become 4G cities!

 

 

Comcast has just finished rolling out its second 4G Mobile Broadband market in Atlanta, using Clearwire's WiMAX network (they did the same thing in Portland recently). Comcast will be offering two choices for prospective 4G customers, the "High-Speed 2go Metro service" and the "High-Speed 2go Nationwide service". The Metro service provides access to the 4G network in the Atlanta Metropolitan area (and presumably the Portland, Las Vegas and Baltimore areas where Clearwire also has service) with a 4G-only modem, while the Nationwide service will operate similarly to Clear's and Sprint's 4G/3G service by providing a dual-mode 4G/3G device that will operate on the Clearwire 4G network when available and switch to Sprint's 3G network where 4G is not available. For Atlanta residents who subscribe to Comcast's cable or home internet service, being able to add 4G access to their existing service will be a nice option.

Since Comcast is heavily invested in Clearwire, it makes perfect sense for them to offer Clearwire's service. It will be interesting to see if other non-investors will partner up with Clearwire to offer their own 4G packages as 4G coverage expands.