Clearwire Sets Portland WiMax Launch

Clearwire LLC (Nasdaq: CLWR) will launch its long-awaited mobile WiMax service in Portland, Ore., on January 6.

The Kirkland, Wash.-based operator has just issued a media invite saying that "Clearwire and Intel will host a local press conference in Portland, Oregon to formally launch the West coast's first 4G mobile Internet (WiMAX) service, known as Clear," on January 6. The operator had previously been saying that it would launch the market sometime in the first quarter of 2009. (See Clearwire Subs Slip in WiMax Wait.)

Portland is one of the markets that Clearwire was working on before its WiMax asset merger with Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) was completed. (See Clearwire, Sprint Complete Merger.)

The service provider has been using WiMax equipment from Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) for the deployment. Clearwire has said previously that it will launch with 300 cellsites covering Portland. (See Clearwire in Euro Partner Talks.)

Portland will be the second major market in the, er, Clear. Baltimore was originally run as a Sprint XOHM market but is now operating under the Clearwire brand. (See XOHM WiMax Is Finally On.)

Other markets expected to go live in 2009 include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and Las Vegas. (See A Clearwire Timeline .)

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung