Oh man. Yesterday we learned about a new form of life, but Julian Assange of WikiLeaks wasn’t satisfied. He wanted ALIENS. So what’s he do today? He announces the next WikiLeaks cable to have UFOs in it. Wowie! Then we find out there’s going to be some World of Warcraft on Android devices via GameString, a Professor in NYC installs a camera in the back of his head, and we review the super cute funny little device the Sony Ericsson LiveView – kawaii! Finally, Google pays someone $1 compensation in a Street View privacy case. Cash! All this and a whole lot more on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up!
CLEAR has launched a new modem for use with its WiMAX service, though it’s targeted at home or small-office users rather than mobile mavens. The unimaginatively titled CLEAR Modem with WiFi is, as you can probably guess, a CLEAR WiMAX modem with an integrated WiFi b/g/n radio, for sharing the 4G connection with multiple users.
There’s also a single ethernet port for hooking up a wired computer, and a simple five LED signal strength gauge. What we’d really like to see is a WAN port for using the router with a cable/DSL modem, opening up the possibility of either coupling the bandwidth from two connections, or keeping the WiMAX as a fall-back should the hardline go down.
The CLEAR Modem with WiFi is available now, priced at $120 outright or $7 per month leased. It’s available with month-to-month or two-year agreements, with service plans starting at $35/month (plus tax); CLEAR Voice can be added for $15/month (plus tax).
Considering Sprint’s heavy investment in Clearwire — and the fact that it shares its WiMAX network with the company — you can understand why it might be a little weary of letting other carriers in on the spectrum. That said, a Goldman Sachs analyst that apparently met with Sprint execs this week has said that they “have encouraged” a wholesale spectrum deal that would bring cash in from T-Mobile USA — a company that has yet to settle on a next-gen network strategy beyond HSPA+ — though it would ultimately depend on the price. Considering Clearwire’s somewhat bleak financial picture, it seems likely that Sprint’s looking at this as a do-or-die situation — it isn’t necessarily interested in dumping cash into the company by itself ad nauseam, but if it allows the company to falter, that could have unsavory consequences on Sprint’s own 4G ambitions. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.
Now that Verizon’s gone official with its LTE pricing for an initial launch in some 38 markets this Sunday, we wanted to take a quick look at how it compares to the other players in the laptop data market — after all, how much you’re paying month to month can be just as big of a determining factor (if not a bigger one) in choosing a carrier than the speeds you’re seeing. So how do Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, Clear, and Rover stack up? Let’s break it down.
Sprint has turned on a new batch of 4G markets, bringing its WiMAX service to Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, D.C, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. The launch means Sprint 4G is available in 68 markets across the US, with the carrier tipping San Francisco 4G service on December 28.
Sprint reckons subscribers to its 4G service will see download rates of around 3-6 Mbps, versus 600-1.7 Mbps for traditional 3G. More information at www.sprint.com/4G.
Press Release:
Sprint 4G Rolls Out in Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio
Sprint Expands the Power and Immediacy of 4G to 68 Markets Nationwide
San Francisco Market expected to launch 4G Service on Dec. 28
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), November 29, 2010 – Sprint (NYSE:S) today officially unleashed the power of 4G – enabling fast mobile downloads, wireless video chat and turbo-charged mobile Web browsing up to 10 times faster than 3G service1 – in Los Angeles, Miami, Washington D.C., Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. Customers in these metropolitan areas can now take full advantage of the Sprint 4G network using a wide range of 4G-capable devices. With the addition of these six markets, Sprint 4G is now available in 68 markets2 across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and New York City. Additionally, the wireless carrier announced that it expects to launch the San Francisco market – home to Silicon Valley and thousands of tech enthusiasts – on Dec. 28.
How will 4G benefit Sprint customers in these areas? With the Overdrive™ 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Sierra Wireless, a visitor to Washington, D.C., (including Northern Virginia and parts of Maryland) can connect to the Internet with a laptop or any Wi-Fi enabled device to check the news at speeds that are up to 10 times faster than 3G. A hungry tourist in Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach can search for the best food truck in their vicinity using one of the food-truck applications in the Android™ Market on Samsung Epic™ 4G. If sports fans in Cleveland, Cincinnati or Columbus are looking for up-to-date scores, no problem – it’s easy and quick to find on HTC EVO™ 4G. And, surfers in Los Angeles can forgo the waves and surf the Internet on-the-go using the first 3G/4G-embedded netbook and notebook from Sprint – the Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 (1012) netbook and Dell™ Inspiron™ 11z notebook.
“We have witnessed a great demand from our customers for 4G speeds, power and capabilities in these cities already and today they officially have it,” said Matt Carter, president-Sprint 4G. “We are proud to deliver on our commitment to serve our customers and deliver 4G to more major metropolitan areas in 2010.”
Sprint first launched 4G in Baltimore in September 2008 and since then has delivered a comprehensive consumer, business and public sector strategy and a robust portfolio of devices, consisting of phones, USB aircards, notebook/netbook products, mobile hotspots and routers, that are being used by satisfied consumers and businesses.
To get an insider’s view about how Sprint is making sure that 4G is ready for its customers, visit the YouTube Web video series “Wiring Up 4G.” Videos are available for Los Angeles and New York City.
Sprint is delivering the power of 4G as the majority shareholder of Clearwire, the independent company that is building the WiMAX network. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48.8 million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
1 “Up to 10x faster” based on download speed comparison of 3G’s 600 kbps vs. 4G’s 6 Mbps. Industry published 3G avg. speeds (600 kbps-1.7 Mbps); 4G avg. speeds (3-6 Mbps). Actual speeds may vary by plan or based on other factors.
Seems like Sprint wants to get every last lick of 4G coverage in before Verizon flips the switch on LTE — today, its joint venture with Clearwire is launching WiMAX in the City of Angels a day ahead of schedule. Lest you think Los Angeles is getting special treatment, five other cellular markets can now also get a taste of 5Mbps to 7Mbps download speeds, including Miami, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and our nation’s capitol, Washington D.C. That brings the total number of regions where you’ll get some mileage out of that $10 surcharge up to 68, in case you’re keeping track. What’s next? If the press release after the break is correct, San Francisco will finally satisfy its need for speed on December 28th. Not that any of these locales haven’t been secretly enjoying 4G already, of course.
Though it reported record growth in both revenue and subscriber count, Clearwire’s bad news outweighed the good as it announced its fourth quarter earnings today. Here’s the meat of it:
“The Company is actively pursuing a number of options to resolve its need for additional capital. The Company is in discussions with a number of its major shareholders and other third parties about a number of options, including potential strategic transactions, additional debt or equity financings and/or asset sales. While the Company is cautiously optimistic it will resolve its short-term funding needs in the near future, there can be no assurances. Thus, it is implementing a series of significant cash conservation measures to reduce costs, including: a substantial reduction in sales and marketing spending, a suspension of additional retail channel market launches of the CLEAR-branded operations in select markets including Denver and Miami, delays in the introduction of CLEAR-branded smartphones, a substantial reduction in the contractor workforce, a 15% reduction in the number of employees, and the discontinuation of development activities for sites not required for its current build plan. The Company currently has thousands of sites in various stages of planning and construction beyond its current build plan, and it intends to suspend zoning and permitting in a portion of those sites until such time as additional funding becomes available.”
Translation: they’re running low on cash, they’re looking for ways to raise more of it, and until they do, they aren’t launching those promised Clear-branded phones or opening any more retail locations. They’re also cutting staff by 15 percent, scaling back Clear marketing, and suspending network planning beyond stuff that’s already in the works — a pretty drastic step considering how much build-out Clearwire’s network still needs. Though Sprint depends heavily on Clearwire for its current WiMAX setup, it’s unclear whether Sprint would be willing to continue to dump cash into the partnership — particularly considering the recent rumors that they’re looking to reach out to other carriers — and Comcast has already gone on record saying they don’t see themselves turning into a Clearwire ATM.
Obviously, both Clearwire’s spectrum holdings and its infrastructure are extraordinarily valuable and we wouldn’t sound any alarms that Sprint’s WiMAX network is in any danger of disappearing, but we’re sure this is sounding some alarms at Sprint headquarters that it’s time to make some strategic moves. Should be interesting to see how this all plays out.
We gave a fortunate sect of consumers a taste of WiMAX during our recent reader meetup in the Big Apple, but now it’s available to all: as promised, Sprint has just gone live with New York City’s first 4G network. With the holiday sales season just around the bend, this honestly couldn’t have come at a better time, and considering the bandwidth strain that hamstrings the city, it could very well make things easier on everyone if the adoption rate is high. Moreover, Sprint has blessed Hartford, New Haven, New Brunswick, Trenton and Tampa with WiMAX as of today, bringing the grand total of lit cities to 61. So, LTE — whatcha waitin’ for?
Update: Naturally, Clearwire has launched 4G in NYC as well. Of course, we’re splitting hairs with branding by now, but there it is.
Sprint has officially launched its 4G WiMAX network in New York City, as well as Hartford, New Haven, New Brunswick, Trenton and Tampa, taking its total coverage to 61 markets. Meanwhile Clearwire is pushing out various promotions offering 50-percent off WiMAX service for the first two months in the new areas.
You can check coverage in NYC here, though be warned it’s not all-pervasive. WiMAX is still a work in progress, so devices like the HTC EVO 4G also pack 3G connectivity as well for roll-back purposes. Some of Clear and Sprint’s standalone modems or mobile hotspots do not, however, though there’s usually a price advantage in that case.
Press Release:
Sprint Unveils First 4G Mobile Network in the Big Apple
Sprint Expands the Power and Immediacy of 4G to 61 Markets, Now Available in New York City, Hartford, New Haven, New Brunswick, Trenton and Tampa
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), November 01, 2010 – The wait is over, starting today, Sprint (NYSE:S) 4G – the next generation in wireless service – is available to customers in New York City, Hartford, New Haven, New Brunswick, Trenton and Tampa. With Sprint 4G, wireless customers can experience mobile downloads, video chat capabilities and turbo-charged Web browsing up to 10 times faster than 3G service1 – all on the first wireless 4G network from a national carrier.
Customers around the country can take advantage of the Sprint 4G Network with a range of 4G-capable devices already available from Sprint. New Yorkers and tourists visiting the Big Apple can quickly access information about the latest Broadway shows and find the latest, greatest places to eat with their Samsung Epic™ 4G and use Google Goggles to pull up facts about each using visual search technology powered by Sprint 4G. They can use video chat on their HTC EVO™ 4G to show friends a live view of Yankee Stadium, and coffee-house dwellers can power up the Overdrive™ 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot to share 4G speeds with up to five WiFi-enabled devices – such as an iPad™, laptop, camera or game console – making downloads, streaming video and Web browsing fast.
“Sprint has provided customers with 4G service since 2008 and we’re proud to extend our leadership to six more cities today, including New York City,” said Matt Carter, president of Sprint 4G. “Sprint is the first national wireless carrier to make 4G a reality for our customers and with the addition of these six new markets we are now in 61 cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and Houston, and are growing. By the end of the year Sprint 4G plans to light up several major new markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Denver and Washington DC to name a few.”
Sprint is delivering the power of 4G as the majority shareholder of Clearwire, the independent company that is building the WiMAX network. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.
Sprint and Clearwire have characterized LTE as complimentary to WiMAX time and again, but if that doesn’t allay your suspicions of turncoat tactics in the wireless data space, take it from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse’s lips. “Our 4G strategy is WiMAX, full stop!” he told GigaOM, adding that LTE isn’t necessarily on Sprint’s roadmap. Quizzed about WiMAX partner Clearwire’s LTE trials, however, he dropped a very intriguing hint about the possible shape of phones to come: “We have so much spectrum that we decided to do tests so in case we have multi-modal phones with other air interfaces, we can add LTE on top of WiMAX and run both networks,” he told the publication. Dual-mode WiMAX / LTE smartphone, anyone?
