It sounds like a riddle: "how can the introduction of other WiMAX providers make Clearwire money?"
The answer is simple: since Clearwire owns the necessary licenses, spectrums, and towers to operate a WiMAX network, they can make money by selling wholesale access to the network for other providers to re-sell. Since no other company currently has these capabilities and resources in the US, providers wanting to offer WiMAX to their customers have no choice but to become a Mobile Network Virtual Operator (MNVO) of Clearwire's service. This is nothing new - wireless companies have been doing this for ages. Virgin Mobile, for example, is an MNVO of Verizon, and Clearwire already has one MNVO in Sprint, who uses Clearwire's network for their Sprint 4G service.
Comcast, who actually invested about a billion dollars into Clearwire last year, announced this week that they plan to begin offering WiMAX service via Clearwire's Clear network to their customers in Portland later this year. Clearwire already offers WiMAX themselves in Portland, but Comcast may be able to reach additional customers via their existing customer base and by "bundling" the service with cable or landline services. As Clearwire's COO Perry Satterlee put it, "whether it comes through a retail channel or comes through a wholesaler, in the end, Clearwire wins. It's customers on our network."
