Take this one with several grains of salt and a side order of wishful thinking, but rumour has it Sprint (NYSE: S) is working on releasing their own version of the recently-announced HTC Hero, only it’ll supposedly be running on WiMAX and CDMA. I seriously doubt this will actually happen, considering Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has gone on record and said that Android isn’t currently good enough for their network, but it’s entirely possible that what HTC was able to do with their Sense UI changed Sprint’s mind. They could certainly use a killer handset like the Hero to justify all the work on the XOHM WiMAX network, that’s for sure.

[via PhoneNews]

Clearwire’s push to become the first nationwide mobile WiMAX carrier in the US has apparently put a dent in the company’s finances. Despite adding 25,000 new customers in Q1 2009, bringing Clearwire’s subscriber-base to a cool half-million (500,000) customers, Clearwire has posted a $71 million loss for the first quarter of 2009. Still, the fiscal loss is an improvement compared to Clearwire’s loss of $76.4 million in the year-ago quarter.

As Clearwire ramps up deployment of their WiMAX network in the US, the company expects to see churn rate increase. But, if Clearwire can maintain the kind of growth that helped deliver $62.1 million in sales, a 21% increase from the previous year’s Q1, the WiMAX operator may see their finances turning around. It’s just a matter of getting their nationwide WiMAX network online and ready to take on HSPA+ and LTE networks from AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless.

[Via: CellularNews]

Clearwire is working to get their 4G WiMAX network up to nationwide status before year’s end. We’re all still waiting to see if a coast-to-coast WiMAX network has what it takes to compete with HSPA+ and LTE data networks planned by the likes of AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless for the near future. To that end, Clearwire has announced that it will team up with Cisco to make mobile WiMAX a reality for millions of Americans.

Cisco has been tapped by Clearwire to bring consumer WiMAX devices to market and to provide backbone infrastructure for the nationwide WiMAX network.

“By teaming with Cisco, one of the world’s most forward-looking IP network infrastructure providers, we’re building a robust and cost-efficient next-generation network that’s designed specifically for delivering rich broadband services,” said Scott Richardson, Chief Strategy Officer of Clearwire. “In addition, Cisco plans to develop WiMAX technology for end-user devices, which will give consumers and businesses more compelling ways to stay connected through our CLEAR 4G service.”

Sprint (NYSE: S)’s bet on WiMAX may pay off if Clearwire can go truly nationwide in in the next several months. After that, AT&T’s HSPA+ network is going to give Sprint and Clearwire a run for their money.

[Via: WSJ]

And the problems keep mounting for mobile WiMAX network operator Clearwire. Made famous as Sprint’s WiMAX network partner, Clearwire has run into numerous bumps along the road to a truly nationwide mobile WiMAX wireless network. The latest pothole in Clearwire’s way is a newly filed lawsuit claiming that Clearwire is misrepresenting their WiMAX network’s performance and then unfairly charging customer early termination fees.

Clearwire is being sued by customers in Washington, Hawaii, Minnesota and North Carolina. The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status in a bid to hit Clearwire as hard as possible. At issue is the fact that Clearwire markets its service as being a reliable alternative to DSL or cable internet services, which the lawsuit’s plaintiffs are claiming is false and misleading. Customers have complained of service outages that range from reduced, dial-up quality internet speeds to complete service interruptions that leave customers without an internet connection.

The lawsuit also claims that Clearwire’s Early Termination Fee is unlawful and is void. The lawsuit seeks to recover ETF fees for former Clearwire customers, as well as an injunction that would prevent Clearwire from falsely advertising their service and charging an ETF to customers wishing to disconnect their service.

Clearwire is in the process of rolling out a nationwide WiMAX network with partner Sprint. If this lawsuit causes even more delays in the WiMAX roll-out, Sprint (NYSE: S) may want to start seriously considering 4G LTE as a back-up plan.

[Via: CellularNews]

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) used to praise Sprint (NYSE: S) for its bold effort to roll-out a WiMAX network in the United States. As market moves, so does the attitude of the Finnish giant. Even though we supposed to see few Nokia WiMAX-enabled devices last year, nothing from that actually happened. Quite the contrary - Nokia killed the N810 WiMAX edition.

And now, as most of the industry is gathering around LTE, they say WiMAX is a “failed idea” and is considered a “Wireless Betamax.”

“I don’t think the future is very promising [for WiMax]. This is a classic example of industry standards clashing, and somebody comes out as the winner and somebody has to lose. Betamax was there for a long time, but VHS dominated the market. I see exactly the same thing happening here,” Nokia’s Anssi Vanjoki told to The Financial Times.

He went on, adding: “It’s my prediction that by 2015, we will have an LTE network that will cover most of the important places in the world and that will give us the coverage and capacity we need.”

To be fair, I can understand Nokia’s decision to pull off from the WiMAX market. At some point, it seemed as an ideal move to grab the slice of the U.S. market share by partnering with Sprint. However, as Sprint struggled to launch its network on time, the idea failed. In that sense, it seems as a better strategy to prepare for the upcoming LTE revolution…

[Via: FT]

WiMAX’s near-term future in the US is looking good. Sprint (NYSE: S) is expected to roll out WiMAX service to 10 major US cities this year, and that means we’re going to see some WiMAX-capable handsets launching soon. And, this being CTIA Wireless 2009 and all, Samsung has decided to go ahead and launch their first WiMAX phone - the Samsung Mondi smartphone. The Samsung Mondi will be heading up Samsung’s push into the US WiMAX market through Clearwire’s Clear WiMAX service.

As expected, the Samsung Mondi sports both WiMAX and WiFi radios so that it won’t ever be too far from a high-speed wireless connection. And, with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and monstrous 4.3-inch touchscreen, you can bet that this Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional smartphone will make the best use of all that mobile broadband goodness. The Mondi also features a 3.0-megapixel camera, GPS (Route 66), Bluetooth 2.0, HDMI video-out and 4GB of on-board storage. Samsung says that the Mondi will be completely customizable with drag-and-drop widgets, so TouchWIZ UI is a good bet.

“The Samsung Mondi is an important step toward our goal of bringing 4G network speeds and connectivity to people across the U.S.,” said Bill Ogle, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Mobile. “The Mondi™ is a great match for people who want immediate access to the Web without having to sacrifice download speed and portability.”

Samsung is apparently planning to release the Samsung Mondi in just a single shade of black. Pricing and exact availability information isn’t yet known.

TechDigest has raised an interesting point on the subject of whether WiMax or LTE will win out as the next “G” (generation) of wireless network technology.

Right now we have up to HSPA (with HSPA+ coming soon) to keep us happy, and this is likely to top out around 28Mbps, assuming peak conditions. But what next? How will we feed out insatiable desire to update facebook even faster?!

Well there WiMax, and then there’s LTE - each with some big players behind them. TechDigest really summarises well:

• WiMax is based on Wi-Fi, and doesn’t require a SIM card for usage. Its benefits are that it’s an open standard - anyone can create the gear required to use the technology without paying license fees. That means the tech can be up to half as expensive as the equivalent LTE tech.
• LTE, on the other hand, is based on the existing 3G network technology. In fact, LTE stands for “The Long Term Evolution of 3GPP”. Its advantages are that it’s well-understood by carriers, and when a device is out of range of an LTE signal, it can drop back to a 3G or 2G service. LTE’s currently a little faster, too, but that difference should be addressed by the ratification of a new WiMax standard later this year.

In terms of deployements, WiMax was out of the gate first, and the US has seen some testbed rollouts (albeit in real, working, environments) - but from what I remember, the results were disappointingly slow, at least in that iteration. LTE however is following closely behind, with tests also occuring.

It is TechDigest’s postulation (and a good one too) that Laptops/Netbooks will end up with WiMax, but that LTE will take over (and probably be called 4G) as far as Mobile goes - which could mean a few years down the line your device isn’t WiFi/3G, but WiMax/4G!

So I’d also like to ask the question - which do you think will win out? Do you care, so long as you can update your facebook status? Whatcha think? Tomorrow we’ll consider another set of network technologies…

[Original story via: TechDigest]

Samsung first put their finger in the WiMAX pie not long ago, and it looks like they’re finally diving in. This picture and the model number SWD-M100 Mondi slipped through their RSS feed, and could potentially be the first device to run on the American Clear WiMAX network.That’s quite the screen on there, but we haven’t heard anything else regarding release dates or specs. The Mondi is a likely candidate for a CTIA Wireless release however, so we’ll have to swing by the Samsung booth and see what’s up. Sprint (NYSE: S) has spent a lot of time and money on Clearwire, and it now all hinges on device adoption - what kind of first impression the Mondi makes on the public will say a lot about the future of WiMAX in America.

[via PhoneScoop]

Despite numerous hiccups, Sprint (NYSE: S) is finally getting serious with its burgeoning 4G WiMAX data network - the nationwide coverage kind of serious. Sprint has announced an additional 10 markets that are planned to light off their WiMAX network in 2009. Sprint’s expansion to these new major US cities should help spur 4G WiMAX adoption and will bring Sprint’s WiMAX network to the national level.

The Sprint WiMAX network has been up and running in Baltimore since September, but will soon be going live with WiMAX in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland, and Seattle in 2009. Sprint will follow up with 4G launches in Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. in 2010.

Sprint will also be rolling out new WiMAX hardware throughout 2009 and 2010 - a tri-mode handset, a data card, broadband modem and some laptops with integrated WiMAX support.

WiMAX promises to deliver mobile broadband data speeds upwards of 12Mbps, with average data speeds hitting in the 2-4Mbps range. Compared to current high-speed wireless data offerings in the US, Sprint’s WiMAX technology will offer unparalleled mobile broadband service. But, with 4G LTE technologies just itching to come online in 2010, it remains to be seen if LTE will truly be complementary to WiMAX.

[Via: MobileBurn]

Clearwire, having recently teamed up with Sprint to provide WiMAX service across the nation. The two companies completed the merging of their WiMAX assets this year, creating the single-largest spectrum portfolio in the US. As the champions of WiMAX in the US, Sprint (NYSE: S) and Clearwire have come under increasing pressure to bring 4G mobile broadband service to the masses, what with 4G LTE networks from other major wireless carriers expected to come online within a couple years. In that light, will Clearwire’s push to expand their WiMAX-based “Clear” network to major US markets in 2009 be enough to fend off LTE’s impending challenge?

Clearwire is expecting to go live with Clear service in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia, and Seattle in 2009. In 2010, Clearwire expects to go “Clear” in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston and the San Francisco Bay Area, just to name a few. In total, the WiMAX provider is looking to cover 120 million people across 80 markets through 2010.

WiMAX has the potential to give Sprint and Clearwire the first-to-market advantage in providing true high-speed mobile broadband service to customers. But, with Verizon and MetroPCS both expecting to flip the LTE-switch in 2010, Sprint’s going to have some heavy competition for mobile broadband customers. Still, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and MetroPCS (NYSE: PCS) will have to wait for their LTE network sto launch before they become a significant threat to Sprint’s 4G network. But AT&T has plans to enable HSPA+ data speeds that will overlap with Sprint’s mobile broadband offering. So, it seems AT&T (NYSE: T) may be the more immediate threat to Sprint and Clearwire’s success.

Sprint and Clearwire’s expansion markets for 2009 are presumably the key markets that the duo thinks it needs to penetrate and capture early-adopters. It’s crucial that Sprint and Clearwire perform well in early markets, because it’s those markets that are going to help spread the word about WiMAX. By the time LTE networks from other major carriers are close to going live, Sprint is looking to have a nationwide (albeit, spotty) 4G mobile broadband network up and running - combination 3G/4G data modems should help smooth out the coverage gaps in the burgeoning WiMAX network. Sprint’s head-start on infrastructure roll-outs may prove to be just enough of an edge to give Sprint the subscriber foundation to grow as the premier data-centric network provider in the US.

Will Sprint and Clearwire manage to provide enough value for early-adopter mobile broadband customers to secure its future as a data-centric network provider? Time will tell. Interestingly, Sprint is reportedly considering their LTE options, perhaps as a hedge against WiMAX’s less than stellar success.