Clear axes Rover prepaid data brand
updated 05:45 pm EDT, Thu May 5, 2011
Prepaid mobile Internet plan targeting youth ends
After only nine months on the market, wireless broadband operator Clearwire has shelved its Rover prepaid mobile Internet service. Rover was intended to capture the digitally-aware 18 to 24 year-old audience and was rare in focusing on prepaid data first. Charges could go up to $50 per month but also allowed for $20 per week and $5 per day.
The 4G service offered mobile download speeds of three to six megabits per second with bursts over 10Mbps.
It's not clear if Rover's demise is part of Clearwire's strategy to shift its focus from a retail to a wholesale customer base, or if it just never generated enough users to be financially viable. Recently, the company has been hit with an exodus of management talent, including its CEO in March.
However, the company has exhibited strong financial performance. In its first quarter of 2012, which ended March 31, the company reported revenue up 142 percent year-over-year to $258 million. [via BBR]
