Clearwire Receives $3.2 Billion Cash Investment from Comcast, Intel, Time Warner Cable, Google and Bright House Networks
Clearwire Spectrum Holdings to Enable Unmatched Wireless Network Capacity for Broadband Services
KIRKLAND, Wash. and OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ: CLWRD for the first 20 trading days and CLWR thereafter) and
Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S) announced that they have completed the transaction to combine their next-generation wireless Internet businesses. With the closing, Sprint contributed all of its 2.5 GHz spectrum and its WiMAX-related assets, including its XOHM business, to Clearwire. In addition, Clearwire has received a $3.2 Billion cash investment from Comcast, Intel, Time Warner Cable, Google and Bright House Networks. The transaction with Sprint and the new cash investment were completed on the terms originally announced on May 7, 2008. The new company retains the name Clearwire and remains headquartered in Kirkland, Washington.
Webcast and Conference Call
On Monday, December 1, 2008, at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (7 a.m. Pacific Time), Clearwire will hold a conference call for press and industry analysts to share its perspective and provide other details about the new company. The call is expected to last approximately 30 minutes. To access Monday’s conference call, please dial 866-783-2140 or outside the U.S., dial 857-350-1599. The passcode for the call is 41467097. The simultaneous webcast can be accessed via the Internet at http://investors.clearwire.com. The conference call will be archived and available for replay until midnight Eastern Time (9 p.m. Pacific Time), on Monday, December 15, 2008. To access the replay, please call 888-286-8010 or outside the United States, dial 617-801-6888. The replay passcode is 67750421.
About Clearwire
Clearwire, (NASDAQ: CLWRD for the first 20 trading days and CLWR thereafter), offers a robust suite of advanced high-speed wireless broadband services to consumers and businesses. Clearwire’s open all-IP network, combined with rich spectrum holdings, provides unmatched network capacity to deliver next-generation Internet access and applications. The company is building the first, nationwide 4G mobile Internet network, bringing together an unprecedented combination of speed and mobility. Investors include Sprint Nextel Corporation, Comcast Corporation, Intel through Intel Capital, Time Warner Cable, Google, and Bright House Networks. Clearwire currently provides mobile WiMAX-based service in Baltimore, Md., and provides pre-WiMAX services in 50 markets across the U.S. and Europe. Headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., additional information about Clearwire is available at www.clearwire.com.
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 is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 51 million customers at the end of the third quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
Written by Maximus on December 2nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Sprint makes online shopping easy with money-saving Web-exclusive offers on popular wireless devices
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., (BUSINESS WIRE) -- --Families can save at least $240 and up to $1,000 annually with Sprint wireless plans over Verizon and AT&T
Sprint (NYSE:S) is giving customers the gift of value this holiday season with six power-packed devices offered free with a two-year contract for a limited time only exclusively through Sprint.com. Sprint customers already enjoy the best savings in wireless service today - for families, that can mean at least $240 and up to $1,000 in annual savings based on comparable rate and service plans offered by Verizon and AT&T.
Significant price drops on the following devices begin today exclusively at Sprint.com for new line activations or eligible upgrades with a two-year agreement:
Palm Centro(TM): Free after $100 mail-in rebate Centro is the smallest and lightest Palm phone to date. Centro has a modern, stylish look that feels comfortable in the hand, pocket or evening purse. Centro has been one of the top selling devices for Sprint this year because it is easy-to-use for both communication and organization (offer available only at sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1 through Jan. 4).
Rumor(TM) by LG(R): Free instantly Exclusively from Sprint, the colorful Rumor by LG helps you manage your entertainment, data and voice needs in a single, attractive device. Rumor by LG puts the convenience of text messaging in the palm of your hand with an easy-to-use QWERTY slide keyboard and one-touch access to messaging through a softkey from the idle screen (offer available only at sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1 through Dec. 26).
i335 by Motorola(R): Free instantly Offering the industry-leading push-to-talk Nextel Direct Connect(R) services available only on the iDEN network, i335 by Motorola is an easy-to-use, candy-bar-style phone offering Bluetooth(R) and speakerphone. It is also certified to Military Standard 810F for dust, shock and vibration (offer available only at sprint.com through Dec. 20).
Compass(TM) 597 by Sierra Wireless(R): Free instantly The nation's smallest USB modem, Compass 597 is about the size of a pack of gum. It features automatic installation of Sprint SmartView(SM) software and one-touch activation on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, making it easy to get up and running (offer available in all Sprint channels through Jan. 10 or while supplies last).
M300 by Samsung: Free instantly M300 by Samsung combines many of the essential tools customers need to communicate faster and easier with a compact, attractive design. Features include Bluetooth technology, VGA camera with digital zoom, Internet access, email and text messaging (offer available only at sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1 through Jan. 10 or while supplies last).
S1 by Sanyo: Free instantly With a sleek look and feel, S1 by Sanyo offers the essential features that consumers rely on, including a robust 24mm speakerphone, integrated Bluetooth wireless technology, large LCD screen and voice-activated dialing. S1 by Sanyo is wrapped in a soft-touch finish that feels great in your hand (offer available only at sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1 through Jan. 10 or while supplies last).
"During these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever for us to make online holiday shopping effortless with the best overall value and the most options in affordable wireless phones," said Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint. "Sprint offers something for everyone on your holiday shopping list with the advanced features and exclusive content available on our devices. Consumers will see how Sprint can help them save money during this holiday season."
Beyond offering lower prices on devices and plans than competitors, Sprint offers customers the best value in wireless, including Now Network benefits provided by the fastest national push-to-talk network and America's largest, most dependable 3G network.* Sprint has four times the coverage of AT&T's current 3G network. Sprint also guarantees friendly service with Ready Now, an exclusive Sprint experience that offers hands-on training and setup for customers at Sprint stores nationwide.
Earlier this year, Sprint revolutionized unlimited pricing in the wireless industry by moving beyond its competitors to deliver more features for a flat rate of $99.99. Sprint's Simply Everything(SM) plan provides unlimited nationwide calling, texting, email, Web browsing, GPS navigation and much more - all for only $99.99. Comparable yearly messaging and data plans on Verizon and AT&T cost the consumer an additional $480 and $540, respectively.
Sprint's Simply Everything Family plan with unlimited voice, data and messaging for two customers is more than $1,000 less costly per year than AT&T's similar plan. Sprint's family share plans begin at $99.99 and offer an annual savings of $240 vs. Verizon and AT&T, allowing two customers to share 1,500 minutes (includes free nights starting at 7 p.m. and weekends) and unlimited messaging, including texting, picture sharing and video messaging, for $99.99.
Everything Data plans are a great value at just $69.99 for 450 minutes of talk time with unlimited data, including texting, email, Web browsing, GPS Navigation and exclusive content such as NFL Mobile Live(TM) and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile(TM). Unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling to other Sprint customers and free nights and weekends starting at 7 p.m. are included in these affordable plans.
Existing customers can switch plans without renewing their contracts. New lines of service require a two-year agreement.
Customers can learn more about the great holiday deals on Sprint's wireless phones by going to sprint.com. Online chat with a customer service representative is available 24 hours a day to quickly address any questions during the purchasing process. Existing Sprint customers can switch to any of these plans without a contract extension. They are available on new lines of activation with a two-year agreement per line.
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 is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 51 million customers at the end of the third quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
*Largest based on square miles. Dependability based on independent, third-party drive-test data on connection success and session reliability for the top 50 most populous markets from March to September 2008. Fastest based on initial call setup time.
Written by Maximus on December 2nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Clearwire announced today that they will be calling their WiMAX network “Clear.” This comes after the recently finished deal with Sprint for WiMAX. In fact, the Clear moniker will be used in place of Sprint’s Xohm branding.
The deal was worth about $14.5 billion and made it so Clear will replace Xohm on Clearwire’s segment of the WiMAX network. This is instead of a joint name. However, Clearwire doesn’t seem to be connected to WiMAX for 4G. In fact, future tech may very well be switched over to the LTE standard, if need be.
In 2010, many other carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon will be using LTE, so it would make sense for Clearwire to make the switch as well if that is where the market goes. However, both Intel and Sprint might run into trouble in the future as they are betting their game on WiMAX.
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Written by Brenda Stokes on December 1st, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Found under:
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Clearwire and the unit of Sprint Nextel that is building the new WiMax 4G network have successfully merged The Clearwire name will be retained and they will absorb Sprints existing Baltimore-area WiMax network plus Sprint spectrum covering much of the US.This could bring Sprint back from the shadows of ATT and Verizon if they play their cards right. It should be amazing just to see the new phones that will be offered when Sprint begins offering nationwide or almost 4G network coverage.As
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Written by MobileTopSoft news board on December 1st, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Found under:
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John Garcia Head of CDMA Code Division Multiple Access at Sprint Nextel is leaving the company and the circumstances surrounding his departure have not been made public. Keith Cowan president of strategy and corporate development will serve as interim head for the unit which controls 70 of Sprints customer base until the position is permanently filled.Sprint was already facing serious troubles having a poor third quarter lagging far behind competitors ATT and Verizon. However Garc
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Written by MobileTopSoft news board on November 23rd, 2008 with no comments.
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Most anticipated news this week was the launch of the BlackBerry Storm on Verizon Wireless, RIM’s first touchscreen handset. If you’re at all considering the Storm then make sure to check out our two part super-review: part one is here, part two is here.
Meanwhile, Apple released firmware 2.2 for the iPhone, bringing with it Street View and over-the-air podcast downloads among other things. Check out the full details of the upgrade here. That release was followed in short order by QuickPwn for v2.2. What the new firmware didn’t include was MMS messaging, but that might be arriving sooner rather than later if Mobispine have their way.
Microsoft launched the New Xbox Experience this week, but the update was mildly soured by the sudden disappearance of hundreds of Sony Pictures movies from Netflix. Sony Pictures maintain it’s not an Xbox 360-specific problem, merely one of licencing, but if our commentors are anything to go by their protests are falling on deaf - or doubtful - ears.
ASUS’ Eee Top ET1602 had its official launch in Taiwan on Thursday, a 15.6-inch touchscreen desktop. It’s the first of a range of similar all-in-one nettops, according to company CEO Jerry Shen, which they’ll need if they’re to compete with MSI’s just-revealed Wind Neton machines.
We’ve had a few exclusive unboxings this week, with Sleek Audio’s W-1 Wireless headphones adapter, the Nanovision MIMO UM-710 and UM-730 USB displays and Apple’s new late-2008 model MacBook Air all dropping into the SlashGear postbox. We also took a hands-on look at HP’s Touchsmart tx2 multitouch Tablet PC.
Meanwhile in reviews the HP Mini 1000 netbook, those cute Nanovision displays and Samsung’s Behold all got put through their paces. Finally we looked at HP’s xw6600 and xw4600 workstations and came away impressed: if you’d like to win the latter machine, make sure you check out our SlashGear HP workstation giveaway! Good luck!
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Written by Chris Davies on November 23rd, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Apple and BlackBerry Storm and Feature and HP and Microsoft and Netflix and Samsung and Sleek Audio and Sony and Sprint and Verizon and Week in Review and Xbox 360 and archive and asus and carriers and iphone 3G and msi and nanovision.
With help from PDP, third-party developers offer applications that provide financial market data, streamline home care processes, offer golf tips and more to Sprint customers
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., -- Continuing its leadership in employing an open strategy, Sprint (NYSE: S) announced that CellTrak Technologies Inc. was the first member of
Sprint's Professional Developer Program (PDP) to receive Sprint certification of its application, CellTrak(TM). CellTrak enables home care and hospice providers to schedule their visits and be able to locate staff as they travel from home to home using GPS technology, which improves patient satisfaction, reduces errors and enables accurate reporting of visit data, mileage and more. Using access to location-based services and technology support provided through the Sprint PDP, CellTrak ported their application from Nextel phones to Sprint phones to meet the needs of their growing customer base.
"With the Professional Developer Program, Sprint is offering serious developers enhanced tools to encourage them to create new content for Sprint devices, be able to move quickly from ideation to final product, and ensure the quality of those applications for our customers," said Len Barlik, vice president of wireless and wireline services for Sprint. "We're seeing those tools pay off as several PDP members have received certification to offer their applications to Sprint customers, just a few months after the launch of the program."
"CellTrak was honored to be the first application to pass the Sprint Professional Developer Program's on-boarding process," said Steve Wegner, chief technology officer for CellTrak Technologies. "The PDP is a must for any company that is serious about delivering a quality product on the Sprint network."
Eleven additional PDP members also have completed certification of their applications:
Acuity Mobile received Sprint certification for its application, which offers businesses a context-based mobile marketing solution that enables Spot Relevance(TM), sophisticated content targeting based on consumer or loyalty program data and user location.The solution provides the ability to create Spot Relevant content and promotional offers that are distributed through an application, text message or WAP site.
Blue Systems received Sprint certification for blue mobile(TM), a real-time financial market data application that provides professional and retail investors with one of the fastest, smartest ways to analyze global stock market information around the clock. blue mobile(TM) provides more content and coverage, over more handsets than any other provider worldwide.
ChaCha received Sprint certification for its application, which is a revolutionary new free mobile answers service for people on the go. ChaCha allows people to ask any question in conversational English and receive an answer as a text message in a few minutes. ChaCha is available by calling 1-800-2ChaCha or by texting 242242 (ChaCha) (standard text messaging rates apply).
Citrix Systems Inc. received certification for its XenApp Plugin for Windows Mobile devices. With more than 100 million users and 99 percent of the Fortune Global 500 as customers, Citrix(R) XenApp(TM) is the industry's de facto standard for delivering Windows-based applications with some of the best performance, security and cost savings.
- MobiWatch received Sprint certification for its personal safety services. Users who need assistance can press the button on the revolutionary Bluetooth MobiFob to speak with professional emergency responders. They'll use the customer's confidential personal profile and real-time location tracking to get the user the help they need. MobiWatch is inexpensive, works with most Sprint phones and requires no software downloads.
Oomble received Sprint certification for its mobile client, which interacts with the Oomble Web site to provide users a real-time view into the content that resides on their mobile phones. Through the Oomble Web site, users are able to manage that content, such as uploading mobile photos to the Web or downloading personal music to the handset, without ever touching the phone.
ROAM Data received Sprint certification for ROAMcommerce, which allows direct selling professionals to enter orders, perform inventory lookup, check commission status and process payment (credit cards and personal checks) -- all in real time and directly from their mobile phones.
SnapNow(TM) received Sprint certification for SnapApp, a mobile visual search application. SnapNow, using its patented process, provides a powerful mobile marketing solution that connects the real world to the Web through the snap of a camera phone. SnapNow links images taken by any camera phone to content on the mobile Web, similar to the way other search engines link words to search results.
Useful Networks received Sprint certification for Sniff, a friend-finder enhancement to open social network applications. The application is designed to allow registered, consenting friends to invite and locate each other via their Sprint handsets using the location capabilities of the Sprint platform.
WellDoc Communications Inc. received Sprint certification for Measures Of Success, a rich offering of services to help make living with asthma easier.
YouCaddy received Sprint certification for YouCaddy, a mobile phone application for golfers to improve their golf game with GPS range-finding, course map-viewing, game tracking, replaying, sharing, and money saving on discounted green fees and equipment.
In addition to the 12 companies with PDP-certified applications, 17 additional PDP member companies are currently testing new products to reach certification, and another 25 companies are in the process of becoming members of the PDP.
The PDP is part of Sprint's Application Developer Program, which was first established in 2001. Sprint's Professional Developer Program provides advanced tools for members to create, test and certify wireless applications that customers can use on Sprint phones. The advanced capabilities include:
Access to the majority of Sprint's restricted APIs (including GPS, address book, messaging) required to permit more sophisticated applications
Dedicated technical support
Access to the certification process
The PDP's certification process is a way for members to create applications and communicate to customers that the product has been tested and approved to function correctly on Sprint phones.
Developers who would like to join the PDP can visit the Sprint Application Developer Program Web site at www.sprint.com/developer and click "Working with Us."
Sprint is committed to offering mobile content and applications to its customers when, where and how they want them:
Sprint has employed an open Internet approach, and the Sprint Application Developer Program has been providing tools for third-party developers since Sprint first launched the Wireless Web on its phones in 2001.
Through relationships with third parties, hundreds of non-Sprint-branded applications, games and other digital media may be downloaded from the mobile Internet to operate on Sprint phones.
More than 200 different non-Sprint-branded devices, from machine-to-machine to telemetry, operate on the Sprint network through a widely respected device certification process.
Sprint is a member the Open Handset Alliance, along with more than 30 other participating companies, supporting the free and open mobile applications platform named Android.
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 is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 51 million customers at the end of the third quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
Written by Maximus on November 22nd, 2008 with no comments.
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Trial Demonstrates How Capacity Can Be Added Using Existing Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) Systems
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., --
Sprint (NYSE:S) announced it completed a technology trial of the first alien (generated by a device external to the system) wavelength OC768/STM256 40-Gigabit per second (Gbps) transatlantic Internet Protocol (IP) link between New York and LuleA, Sweden. Spanning more than 9,000 km of fiber distance, the circuit includes a 7,630 km segment of transatlantic submarine TAT-14 cable system between Sea Girt, N.J. and BlAbjerg, Denmark. This represents the first time that an OC768 40-Gbps signal was successfully transmitted over a submarine cable using a single wavelength and existing Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) systems.
The trial was made possible with the support of the TAT-14 cable system consortium (a consortium of approximately 40 international telecommunications carriers) and by TAT-14 landing station operator in Denmark, TeliaSonera International Carrier. TeliaSonera International Carrier provided support and optical backhaul from the European cable landing station for TAT-14 to Stockholm and SUnet, the Swedish research and education network that provided the optical path to Lulea in the north of Sweden.
"This successful trial of 40-Gbps over IP on a submarine cable system represents another significant first in IP networking for Sprint," said Kathy Walker, chief information and network officer for Sprint. "It serves as a reminder of how far technology has advanced. TAT-14 and Sprint were the first to transmit data at 10-Gbps (OC192) speeds across the same path in 2001. Sprint and TAT-14 are making history again. By transmitting 40-Gbps over an existing 10-Gbps DWDM system, we've demonstrated that Sprint can increase capacity for its customers while minimizing additional capital and operational costs."
Rather than using traditional external DWDM equipment to generate the long-haul signal, the connection was based on Cisco's Carrier Routing System, CRS-1, and IP-over-Dense-Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (IPoDWDM) systems. With the CRS-1 IPoDWDM production solution, the CRS-1 emits a colored 40-Gbps wavelength that is fed directly into existing 10-Gbps DWDM transmission equipment, providing four times the capacity and eliminating costly external transponders. This trial was enabled through close collaboration between Cisco Systems and StrataLight Communications, which lead the industry on the integration of IP and optical technologies. Integrating IP and Optical technologies enables rapid deployment of incremental capacity at a reduced complexity, cost and carbon footprint compared to traditional router and DWDM system approaches.
"StrataLight is pleased to have collaborated with Cisco and Sprint to deliver a long-haul optical interface technology to enable the world's first transmission of an unregenerated, single-wavelength, 40-Gbps circuit over a transoceanic distance," said Ross Saunders, general manager for Next Generation Transport at StrataLight. "This trial demonstrates the ability to multiply the transmission capacity of existing transoceanic submarine systems by four times simply by upgrading the end-points only. This can provide significant capital savings for service providers vs. deploying new submarine cable systems."
As use of the Internet continues to drive higher capacity needs, this trial highlights the potential for more than a fourfold increase in aggregate traffic capacity. TAT-14 is well-prepared to handle ever-increasing demands for high-speed data transmissions in the coming years. The trial provides valuable data that suggests the feasibility of future transmission technology improvements approaching 100-Gbps.
"Carrier-class routers, which integrate optical DWDM transport technology with packet processing, are the driving innovation behind the significant gains in network efficiency and cable system asset value," said Peter Lothberg, IP and optical expert from Stupi, LLC. "The road to greater success will continue to be paved by router designs optimized for improved optical transport."
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 is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 51 million customers at the end of the third quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
About TeliaSonera International Carrier
TeliaSonera International Carrier is the only pan-European provider of wholesale services that can offer IP, capacity and voice services. TeliaSonera owns and manages more than 43,000 km of fiber-optic cable and has more than 100 points of presence across Europe, the United States and Asia. In Europe, TeliaSonera handles more IP traffic and sells more capacity between countries than any other communications provider. More than 85 percent of the European internet market uses TeliaSonera's IP backbone. Competing against other wholesale carriers from around the world, TeliaSonera received the Best Wholesale Carrier award at the World Communication Awards 2007. A crucial factor in clinching the award was the fact that TeliaSonera provided consistent, high-quality services. For more information, visit www.teliasoneraic.com.
About StrataLight
StrataLight Communications is a leader in commercial deployment of ultra-high-capacity optical transmission subsystems with line rates in excess of 40-Gbps. StrataLight Communications enables service providers to address the growing demand for bandwidth driven by IP converged services using their existing fiber network infrastructure. StrataLight's products are sold to service providers by optical networking (OEM) partners. For more information, visit www.StrataLight.com.
Written by Maximus on November 22nd, 2008 with no comments.
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