Sprint is going to track Clearwire's 2009 network launches very closely from now on, Comcast and TWC not so much

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

August 12, 2009

4 Min Read
Sprint's '4G' Shadow Network

Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S)'s "4G Now" launches will closely track Clearwire LLC (Nasdaq: CLWR)'s WiMax market moves in the remainder of 2009, while Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) and Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) are being far more selective about services launched on the Clear network.

Clearwire said yesterday that it expects to launch the Clear mobile WiMax service in at least 25 markets by the end of the year. Sprint followed by announcing 17 more 4G Now deployments, which use Clearwire's network for wireless broadband service. (See Sprint Adds 17 WiMax Cities and Clearwire Promises Growth Spurt.)

Comcast's "HighSpeed2Go" offering and TWC's as yet unnamed service also piggy-back on the Clearwire network. As you will see from the table below, however, the cable companies have only announced a handful of markets between them so far:

Table 1: Clear Network Market Launch Plans for 2009

Market

Clearwire

Sprint

Comcast

TWC

Clear Launch Date

Abilene, TX

X

X

01-Sep

Amarillo, TX

X

X

01-Sep

Atlanta, GA

X

X

X

Live

Austin, TX

X

X

Q3/Q4

Baltimore, MD

X

X

Live

Bellingham, WA

X

X

01-Sep

Boise, ID

X

X

01-Sep

Charlotte, NC

X

X

X

01-Sep

Chicago, IL

X

X

X

Q3 soft launch

Corpus Christi, TX

X

X

01-Sep

Dallas Fort Worth, TX

X

X

X

Q3

Greensborough, NC

X

X

01-Sep

Honolulu, HI

X

X

Q3/Q4

Killeen/Temple, TX

X

X

01-Sep

Las Vegas, NV

X

X

Live

Maui, HI

X

X

Q3/Q4

Milledgeville, GA

X

X

01-Sep

Philadelphia, PA

X

X

X

Q4

Portland, OR

X

X

X

Live

Raleigh, NC

X

X

Q3/Q4

Salem, OR

X

X

Q3/Q4

San Antonio, TX

X

X

01-Sep

Seattle, WA

X

X

Q3/Q4

Waco, TX

X

X

01-Sep

Wichita Falls, TX

X

X

O1-Sep

Sources: Clearwire, Sprint Nextel, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Unstrung, Sidecut Reports



The table mostly relies on Clearwire's announced dates for its mobile WiMax launches. There may be other announcements coming, particularly from Comcast, which has said recently that it will track Clearwire's launches. "You can assume where they go, so will we," a spokesperson said in June. (See Comcast Maxes Out in Portland.)Clearwire and Sprint meanwhile plan to launch in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Boston, and more in 2010. (See WiMax's Bay Window.)

Clearwire, Comcast, and Sprint have also now all started to offer cards that allow users to roam between the WiMax network and Sprint's EV-DO 3G network. (See Clear to Roam Beyond Vegas.)

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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