It's been several months since the XOHM-Clearwire merger and Clear service has now been active in Portland since January, but there is STILL no concrete update on what is going to happen to XOHM users. We know, of course, that the XOHM brand name is on the way out and will eventually be replaced by Clear, but as for these pressing issues:
- Will XOHM users be able to keep their XOHM plans once they're officially being billed by Clearwire?
- If a XOHM user took a XOHM modem to Portland right now, would it work?
- If a Clear user took a Clear modem to Baltimore right now, would that work?
- What happened to Chicago coverage? While it was never an officially launched XOHM network, for several months users were able to order XOHM modems, activate them online, and connect to XOHM "unofficially" in Chicago, but that is no longer working.
There are still no answers!
We here at 4Ginfo have been searching high and low for answers to these questions, but to essentially no avail. Clear reps were unable to confirm whether their modems would work in Baltimore (which, remember, was a "XOHM" network), but one Clear rep indicated that XOHM modems should work in Portland on the Clear network with some sort of "update" to the modem itself.
Unfortunately, they didn't know anything about this mystery update, or where to get it, or what it is.
Next stop was XOHM customer service, who informed us that an update has been put out that "should" allow XOHM devices to work in Portland on Clear network - but where is this update? And WHAT is it? Is it something that the user has to install, or some sort of automatic update (a la a PRL update, for example?) The rep had no idea and said that since the Clearwire hasn't officially taken over yet, he really wasn't sure, but it "should work". Similarly, according to XOHM, Clear modems "should" work on XOHM in Baltimore.... but they "don't exactly support that at this time".
When we asked what had happened to the coverage in Chicago, we were told that it was a "future market" and would be launching soon. When? No answer. And where, exactly, in the Chicago area? No answer.
We've posed our questions to Clear again and are awaiting a reply, but short of heading out on a road trip from Portland to Baltimore to test the devices ourselves, it seems unlikely that we'll have any of these answers any time soon. With Verizon and AT&T making progress on LTE and promising launches later this year, Clearwire would be wise to get their act together and at the very least provide some solid answers for XOHM users about HOW they can use Clear (if indeed they can), WHERE they can use it, and what will happen with our XOHM accounts!
