Excerpt from Good Day, BWIA - Monday on Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) / WiMAX News:
Stafford Smith asked Wall Street sees the Sprint Nextel retreat from a joint Wimax network as big setback for Clearwire. Do you agree? Yes, and No. Yes, that the Sprint Nextel / Clearwire agreement was a big win for Clearwire - they would have given them enormous benefit of their customers having roaming access to much bigger network coverage than what Clearwire could have done on their own - size of team that they can devote to building out network, finances, spectrum acquisition and footprint, etc. Not to mention that Clearwire would have been able to offer their customers nationwide wireless telephony service immediately via Sprint's existing CDMA network. Overall, the agreement would have been a huge win for Clearwire. No, that Clearwire would have been saddled with, and attention diverted by, dealing with a company with enormous legacy issues, including circuit-switched telephony technology, last-generation billing and management systems, huge personnel legacy and "worldview" issues, and thorny migration of Nextel users (those that haven't already quit) from 800 MHz to Sprint's 1.9 GHz CDMA network.
I'll reiterate what I said on Friday, and will considerably elaborate in my other writing such as FOCUS and putting attention back into the Independent Clearwire Blog - that I don't know how, exactly it will happen, but I'm convinced that what will happen is that Clearwire will end up with unrestricted access to Sprint's 2.5 GHz spectrum and will use it to build out a nationwide Mobile WiMAX network that will offer not only mobile Broadband Internet Access, but also "telephony" services using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). I also think that backing this idea is the only logical path for Google's wireless ambitions: 1) they don't have to fight the stupidity of network neutrality conflicts of interest with Verizon and AT&T, 2) They get the benefit of "designed for IP" wireless technology, and 3) Clearwire's motivated - they need the money that Google can throw their way and Google can significantly influence the direction of Clearwire. Thanks for asking, Stafford.
By Steve Stroh
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