05/09, 8:08am
Clearwire, Qualcomm join to unify LTE
Clearwire and Qualcomm have announced a new partnership that will bring support for Clearwire’s TDD-LTE frequency to its multi-mode LTE mobile chipsets towards the end of the year. Clearwire had taken a different tact to most of the other US carriers, who have opted for the FDD-LTE standard. However, the TDD-LTE specification has been widely adopted across the globe by heavyweights including China Mobile, Bharti-Airtel in India and Softbank in China giving Clearwire a unique opportunity to offer a global LTE smartphone.
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04/26, 6:50pm
Clearwire
Clearwire late Thursday gave an indication as to the scope of its initial LTE network launch for mid-2013. A total of 31 market areas would be covered during the launch period. The deployment would include several major cities, among them Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle.
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04/13, 1:15pm
Ting promises LTE at the same time as Sprint
Virtual network operator Ting revealed that it will launch an LTE network at the same time as Sprint, which it currently relies on for its CDMA and 3G networks. Ting also now uses Clearwire's WiMAX network for mobile broadband, though if this will change once Sprint rolls out its LTE offering mid-year remains to be seen. According to an executive from Ting's parent company Tucows, Ting's LTE offerings will include USB data modems, mobile hotspots, and "pretty spiffy" smartphones.
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03/19, 8:15am
NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband goes live
NetZero took a different direction Monday by starting up its own 4G service. Its Clearwire-sourced WiMAX is contract-free and has the unique choice of picking either a basic (1Mbps/384Kbps) or full-speed (10Mbps/1.5Mbps) access plan, even having the option to switch over the web. The service also lives up to the company's once historic practice of offering service: those who buy a modem can get 200MB of data each month for free for a year, with the device price already covering the cost.
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03/14, 10:55am
Cricket parent Leap wholesales Clearwire LTE
Cricket's parent company Leap on Wednesday struck a deal with Clearwire to use its upcoming LTE network. The five-year pact will let Cricket users run on Clearwire's 4G in addition to the network Cricket itself plans to build. The expansion would give extra capacity where it was needed to help cope with demand, Leap chief Doug Hutcheson said.
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03/09, 4:30pm
Google sells 29.4m shares to Credit Suisse
Google has sold its stake in Clearwire to international financial services group Credit Suisse, the Wall Street Journal revealed this week, citing unnamed sources. Each of the 29.4 million shares sold for $2.26 for a total of $66.5 million. While this represents an enormous loss compared to the $500 million Google paid in 2008, it's still better than the $1.60 per share Google was asking late last month.
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02/27, 4:45pm
Private transaction means less disclosure
Sprint announced that it would issue corporate bonds worth approximately $2 billion in a private sale. The company hinted that the proceeds of the sale might be used to support "network expansion and modernization and potential funding of Clearwire Corporation," among other uses. Clearwire has been seeking additional investment as it transitions to 4G LTE. Sprint is already committed to paying $600 million this year and another $300 million in 2013 for Clearwire's WiMAX service.
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02/24, 10:15am
Google offloads Clearwire share for unknown reason
Google in an SEC filing posted last week but discovered Friday that it had sold off its stake in 4G provider Clearwire. Two sales on February 7 and 16 were collectively worth $47 million on the assumption of selling 29.4 million shares at $1.60 each, or less than Clearwire's $2.27 actual price as of the end of Thursday. No explanation was given for the exit.
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02/16, 7:50pm
Clearwire sets timeline for LTE rollout
Clearwire chief Erik Prusch in comments during his company's fiscal results call Thursday set a timeframe for its move to LTE for 4G. He expected an initial round of 5,000 sites to switch on by June 2013. The currently WiMAX-only provider is planning to use TD-LTE on top of WiMAX and will focus mostly on heavy population areas where data use is most likely.
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01/30, 2:35pm
Clear Spot Voyager and Hub Express kick off 2012
Clearwire's still growing Clear 4G service got refreshed devices for the new year on Monday. The Infomark-made Clear Spot Voyager reinterprets its mobile hotspot and touts a relatively long six-hour battery life for its WiMAX sharing. It can reach as many as eight Wi-Fi devices at once and, at 2.6 inches square, is meant to be pocketable.
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01/24, 9:35pm
Clearwire starts recovering with cost cuts
Clearwire on Tuesday showed a significant recovery from near death with early estimates of its results. It swung from a loss in the summer to net positive earnings in the fall, owed directly to adding more subscribers and cost-cutting. The 4G provider expected to have gained 900,000 total customers, or an 11 percent jump just in one season.
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12/12, 3:40pm
Would also want assets if divestiture required
Dish Network has indicated that it might be interested in acquiring assets from either AT&T or T-Mobile if their proposed $39 billion merger fails to go through. This insight came from Dish's CEO Joseph Clayton in an interview with Bloomberg. Dish has already expressed interest in acquiring customers and spectrum if US regulators require AT&T to divest any such assets in order to allow the deal to be completed.
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12/05, 11:20pm
Company continues funding drive
Clearwire is reportedly set to provide $300 million of its Class A stock as a public offering, in an attempt to fetch additional funding for the company's LTE deployment plans. The WiMAX provider is also said to be leaving the door open, as a 30-day option, for its underwriters to purchase an additional $45 million in Class A shares.
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12/05, 4:50pm
Comcast, TWC will sell Verizon mobile hardware
As part of the recent AWS spectrum sale from cable providers to Verizon, Comcast will begin selling Verizon's mobile devices early next year. At the same time, Comcast will compete with Verizon in markets where it sells its FiOS TV and Internet service, said Comcast Cable president Neil Smit. Time Warner Cable will also sell Verizon products in bundled packages, though it will do so nearly immediately.
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12/02, 4:40pm
Comcast, TWC to replace Clearwire with Verizon
As part of the very recent $3.6 billion spectrum sale to Verizon, the communications provider will wholesale its spectrum to Time Warner Cable and Comcast, CNET found. It will replace Clearwire in this respect, as it's one of the conditions of the multi-billion dollar sale. Verizon will be the exclusive partner of the two providers, Time Warner Cable spokesperson Alexander Dudley said. The transition will be done over the course of the next six months, and TWC and Comcast will need to move their existing customers elsewhere.
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12/01, 10:40am
Clearwire escapes debt default with Sprint deal
Clearwire got a last-minute reprieve Thursday after Sprint confirmed a rumored last-minute financing deal. The 4G service is getting both debt assistance to pay off its $237 million owed on Thursday as well as up to $350 million to help Clearwire transition over to LTE. Under the new terms, most of the payments will come during 2012, although Sprint now also has to guarantee use of Clearwire's outgoing WiMAX network through 2015 or later.
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11/30, 6:50pm
Companies expected to finalize terms before 2012
Clearwire is reportedly close to securing additional funding from Sprint, suggesting the companies may have quietly overcome lingering disputes. The WiMAX provider is said to be in need of nearly $1 billion in additional capital to help keep the company afloat and upgrade its network amid increasing competition from other carriers offering 4G speeds via alternative technologies such as LTE.
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11/18, 4:40pm
Clearwire considering skipping $237m debt payment
Clearwire is considering not making a payment towards its debt due in the next two weeks. It owes $237 million on December 1 and its cash and short-term investments as of September 30 added up to $698 million, so the company can afford it, the Wall Street Journal said. Making the payment would put a significant draw on those savings, and the company is weighing the pros and cons of making it.
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11/04, 5:30pm
Sprint looking to sell debt to raise funds
Sprint has announced a plan to offer notes due in 2018 and 202. It says that is 2018 offer will be guaranteed by the company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries its existing credit arrangements. The company will be selling off its debt in order to raise finances to help fund Clearwire to keep it afloat. While the company has not said how much it hopes to raise in the note offer, it said on October 26 that may need to raise as much as $7 billion to upgrade its own network and help pay for the high cost of its deal with Apple to sell the iPhone.
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10/27, 11:40pm
Sprint and Clearwire close to pact even with LTE
Sprint and Clearwire are close to signing a deal that keep their network sharing intact even after Sprint's LTE switch, purported sources divulged late Thursday. The terms passed on to Bloomberg would have it extend the deal for another three to five years. If completed, the deal will probably see Sprint pay less to Clearwire for when its 4G data goes over the Clearwire network.
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10/13, 6:00pm
Clearwire expects to post good Q3 numbers
Clearwire has reported better-than-expected revenue for the third quarter, with stock jumping 21.5 percent on Thursday. This growth, if maintained, should help the company build the money it needs to upgrade its network and retain it, as it's been tied to selling its 4G network capacity to other carriers. Its long-time partner, Sprint, has also been rumored to be distancing itself from Clearwire, though the carrier's CEO has gone on record to say this wasn't the case.
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09/26, 10:20am
Dish looking for mobile carrier partner: CEO
The CEO of Dish Network, Joseph Clayton, said in an interview on Monday that the company could be looking into partnering or acquiring a wireless carrier. He floated to Bloomberg the prospect of getting either Sprint or Clearwire. The Dish executive admitted, however, that his company also need to secure wireless infrastructure, more technological capabilities, and distribution.
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09/22, 10:10pm
Carriers said to be in talks over 4G spectrum
Clearwire is reportedly involved in ongoing negotiations to sell some of its network capacity to other major carriers in the US. CEO Eric Prusch told Reuters the company is "talking to everybody," a list that includes AT&T and Verizon, along with smaller regional carriers such as Leap Wireless and MetroPCS.
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08/19, 8:20am
Sprint may acquire Clearwire for LTE expansion
Sprint may buy outstanding shares in Clearwire to build out its 4G LTE network more quickly, according to Bloomberg sources. Sprint is said to be in talks with cable companies include Comcast to raise the capital to buy out equity in Clearwire that it doesn’t already own. Although a deal is not said to be imminent, Sprint, which is currently losing money, is keen to invest around $600 million to upgrade its network in order to become more competitive with Verizon and AT&T.
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08/03, 4:45pm
Clearwire jumps to LTE as main 4G
Clearwire up-ended WiMAX with news Wednesday that it would make LTE and LTE Advanced its primary 4G formats. The rollout will give it peak speeds of 120Mbps or more using the same 2.5GHz frequencies and network that it already uses. While it will be LTE at first, it will be upgradeable to LTE Advanced when it becomes available and hit "at least" 100Mbps.
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07/25, 8:55pm
Clear 4G-Apollo router goes live after leaks
Not long after an FCC filing, Clear has unveiled a new-generation 4G hotspot. The Spot 4G-Apollo carries its own display to show its connection strength, battery life, amount transferred and other info without needing a look at a browser. It can handle up to eight simultaneous devices over Wi-Fi and has an unusually long six-hour battery life.
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07/19, 11:20pm
CEO gives opinions on tiered data pricing
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse suggests the carrier later in the fall will be ready to announce significant plans surrounding its 4G deployments, though the executive has yet to confirm rumors pointing to a LightSquared deal for an LTE network. Speaking to visitors at Sprint's headquarters in Kansas, Hesse also added to his commentary on the AT&T/T-Mobile merger, claiming that he feels a personal obligation to oppose the deal and push for competition in the marketplace.
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07/13, 6:30pm
Sprint waits for Q2 results to back Lightsquared
Sprint will wait until it reveals its latest fiscal results to confirm its LightSquared sharing deal, insiders explained Wednesday. The cell carrier should use its July 28 financials to confirm that LightSquared will be paying to use Sprint's cell sites while it grows its 4G LTE network. Terms weren't divulged to CNET but are rumored to involve $20 billion over 15 years.
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07/13, 8:05am
Sprint and Clearwire expand 4G network
Sprint and Clearwire have announced an expansion of the Clearwire 4G network coverage for mobile broadband customers in the greater New York City metro area. Sprint and Clearwire claim that they have added WiMax coverage for more than 11,927,000 people in the New York metro area. In total, the Clearwire 4G network now has an additional 21 percent coverage since its launch on November 1, 2010.
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06/01, 2:00pm
LightSquare finalizing 4G deal with Sprint
Up and coming 4G provider LightSquared is on the verge of completing its network sharing deal with Sprint, according to tips Wednesday. The nearly done deal would see LightSquared pay $2 billion every year for the next eight years to rent out Sprint's equipment for its own service. It wasn't evident from the Reuters tip when it would likely go live, though Sprint had pointed to further news about its network near the start of the second half of the year.
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05/18, 4:30pm
7-year deal moves 700 workers to Ericsson
Clearwire has announced that it will transfer operational responsibility for its 4G network to Ericsson. Under the seven-year agreement, Ericsson will take over day-to-day responsibility for the network, while Clearwire will still retain physical ownership. Clearwire has taken this action in an effort to reduce its operating costs while maintaining network quality.
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05/15, 6:25am
Clearwire drops phone plans, SE drops lawsuit
Sony Ericsson has announced that it has dropped its lawsuit against Clearwire. Sony Ericsson had filed suit in January claiming that Clearwire’s logo looked too similar to its own. An injunction was sought to stop Clearwire from using its swirl logo as the company had decided to enter the smartphone space. Clearwire recently told the court that it has dropped its plans to release its own phone, which has prompted Sony Ericsson to withdraw its suit.
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05/06, 1:25pm
Clearwire talks about LTE switchover with Sprint
During an earnings conference call this week, acting Clearwire CEO John Stanton revealed the company is engaged in talks with Sprint regarding using its upcoming LTE network. This helps support an earlier rumor that would help Sprint move from providing a Mobile WiMAX network to an LTE one with much-needed capital. Stanton said Clearwire won't be officially announcing its intentions until Sprint makes its own public commitment to revamp its network, expected to come this summer.
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05/05, 5:45pm
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.
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05/05, 7:40am
Clearwire puts spectrum sale on hold
Clearwire has put its spectrum sale on hold. Interim CEO John Stanton explained to investors that the company would not need to sell off its excess spectrum to raise funds in 2011, although he did not rule out the sale beyond the end of this year. Clearwire is currently in the process of expanding its WiMAX network, and was in need of funds. However, Stanton argued that the $1 billion over two years that it has raised from its with Sprint Nextel would be sufficient in the short term.
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04/19, 1:00pm
Sprint commits min of $1b in 2 years to Clearwire
Sprint and Clearwire have come to a new agreement that required them to settle a previous dispute over wholesale pricing. Under the new deal, Clearwire will receive a minimum of $1 billion over the course of the next two years from Sprint in exchange for access to its high-speed WiMAX network for mobile devices. The deal comes at a crucial time for Clearwire, as it was trying to raise capital as early as late last year.
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04/07, 11:45am
Sprint said near LightSquared, Clearwire deals
Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin claimed on Thursday that Sprint would have its deal with LightSquared and a new deal with Clearwire could be ready in weeks. He expected the deal, which would let LightSquared lease access to all of Sprint's cell sites for an LTE-based 4G network, would be done within a month. Clearwire's deal would focus on getting new wholesale pricing and would probably follow afterwards.
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04/01, 6:55pm
Time Warner Cable said testing WiMAX phone
Time Warner Cable might dip its toes into its own high-end WiMAX smartphone after an inside leak was corroborated late Thursday. The unnamed hardware was in testing and would use Sprint's CDMA network for voice with Clearwire's network handling the WiMAX for 4G data. Few details were available to FierceWireless' sources, though it's presumed this would be an Android device.
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03/30, 5:35pm
Service initially available for 23 computers
Best Buy has announced that its Connect mobile broadband service has been expanded with new options for 4G connectivity via Clearwire's WiMAX network. The 4G service will initially be offered on 23 different computers sold at Best Buy locations throughout the country, including models from companies such as Asus, Dell, HP, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba
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03/24, 1:35pm
Clearwire CEO objects to ATT T-Mobile merger
Clearwire's new chief John Stanton in an interview Thursday voiced his objection to the proposed AT&T buyout of T-Mobile. He cast the company's potential 79 percent control of subscription customers in the US as a "huge challenge to competition." Device exclusivity was already a problem with AT&T, such as its recently ended iPhone exclusive, and could only get worse if the carrier had that much more clout, the CEO told the WSJ.
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03/16, 5:45pm
Sprint Project Leapfrog would add LTE
Sprint is quietly going ahead with a plan that would bring LTE to its network, a rumor started by a GLG contributor on Wednesday. Reportedly called Project Leapfrog, it would see Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, and Samsung add in LTE for 4G on its network and use the exit from IDEN to clear up 800MHz spectrum for the new network's use. It would reportedly take three years but would both put it on par with rivals like AT&T and Verizon while lowering its costs.
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03/13, 8:40pm
ATT capping DSL and U-verse May 2
AT&T after a leak on Sunday confirmed that it will join other Internet providers in capping its service. Beginning on May 2, regular DSL subscribers will have up to 150GB per month, while those on its U-verse VDSL connections will have the same 250GB as a Comcast user. BBR was told overage fees of $10 for each extra 50GB of data will be in effect, but will only kick in for those who run over the cap three times, albeit over the duration of the account and not per year.
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03/10, 5:05pm
Clearwire CEO Morrow out
Clearwire raised concerns about its financial state on Thursday as company CEO Bill Morrow resigned both from the top spot and as director of the board. He didn't give more than "personal reasons." Board chairman John Stanton (pictured) would take over on an interim level while Morrow would be on tap as an advisor while the 4G company looked for a permanent CEO replacement.
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03/10, 4:50pm
Clearwire sued over false advertising claims
Internet provider Clearwire is facing a lawsuit filed by 15 of its subscribers over its controversial throttling of connection speeds. The plaintiffs said Clearwire isn't delivering the advertised high-speed Internet services it promises, and when unhappy customers leave, charges them early termination fees. The complaints began in the summer of last year, when users said home connection speeds were dropped as low as 256Kbps.
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03/09, 12:10pm
Sprint to stick with Clearwire despite rumors
Sprint's CEO Dan Hesse during a speech at conference in Florida on Wednesday said the company will continue to do business with Clearwire in the future. Sprint owns 54 percent of Clearwire, who is a wholesaler of WiMax technology on which Sprint depends. Hesse added that he'd like to see Sprint and Clearwire do more network sharing, BusinessWeek reported.
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03/08, 9:55am
Sprint talking buyout of T-Mobile US division
Sprint has been negotiating with Deutsche Telekom to buy T-Mobile USA in what would be a major shakeup of the US Cellular industry, sources alleged on Tuesday. The discussions hae been cast as "on and off" due to a dispute over how much T-Mobile would be worth, but the pursuit has raised the prospect of DT having a formal stake in the resulting union. The German company would own about half of the unified firm in this strategy, Bloomberg heard.
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02/28, 9:45pm
Dan Hesse gets boost in bonus
Sprint has changed the terms that determine CEO Dan Hesse's bonus for 2011, bringing an 18 percent gain in the executive's "short-term incentive" target. While customer numbers on Clearwire's network were an important factor calculated into 2010 compensation, performance on the WiMAX partner network will not be considered as a factor for the CEO's performance this year.
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02/24, 4:30pm
Sprint said to be in talks with LightSquared
Three sources say wireless provider Sprint is in negotiations with LightSquared for the use of the former's cell sites to help build out the latter's network, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. LightSquared's FCC-approved wireless venture involves plans to repurpose its satellite spectrum for terrestrial LTE use, giving Sprint a partner for 4G services. Sprint's $5 billion plans to upgrade its hardware infrastructure would have capacity for a LightSquared service.
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02/12, 7:10pm
Samsung 9 Series appears in FCC filing
Samsung's 9 Series notebook got closer to its US launch late Friday with a listing for tests at the FCC. Broadcom put the ultrathin PC testing for its wireless technology. The listing didn't divulge specific features beyond the 900X3A badge for the model being put through approval.
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02/09, 7:45pm
Move seen as win for Sprint
Clearwire is reportedly planning to drop its own retail brand and realign its strategy solely as a wholesale network provider for its WiMAX service, sources have told the Wall Street Journal (sub. required). Sprint, which owns a non-controlling majority stake in Clearwire, will no longer have to compete directly with the company's retail endeavors.
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