WSJ Says Clearwire / Sprint WiMAX Joint Venture Nearly A Done Deal
I received an email alert from the Wall Street Journal that Sprint Nextel and Clearwire will shortly announce their long-gestating "joint venture". (I should probably renew my WSJO subscription in return for this early tip.)
I called this on February 20 - The Inevitability Of Clearwire Plus Sprint Nextel 2.5 GHz. There's just no way it couldn't happen, especially in this challenging financial climate.
WSJ says the "contributors" are Comcast, in for $1.05B, an even $1B from Intel, $550M from Time Warner Cable, and $500M from Google.
Interesting roundup of players, all neatly aligned against, and motivated by the actions of the telephony incumbents. Comcast and Time Warner Cable finally get a wireless telephony option to add to their triple play offerings. For Intel, it's just business as usual trying to foment more of a market for its big bet on building WiMAX and Mobile WiMAX chipsets. Google... more "pure Internet" Broadband Wireless Internet Access is always a good thing, and of course, "buying into the Clearwire club" insures that there will be ample motivation for Android phones.
Maybe now Clearwire will commit to deploying Mobile WiMAX in Seattle.
By Steve Stroh
This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).
This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA); Clearwire service using a NextNet Wireless / Motorola Expedience Residential Service Unit (RSU).
Comments