Clearwire announced several new launches today, including:
- An expansion in Honolulu and Maui. Clear service now extends 1,759 square miles over three islands: Oahu, Maui, and Lanai.
- An expansion in the metro areas of Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina. Across North Carolina, Clear now covers over 2,000 square miles and covers nearly 3 million people.
- An expansion in Seattle and King County, Pierce County, Kitsap County, and Snohomish County. Clear covers over 1,300 square miles and approximately 3.1 million people in the Puget Sound market from Tacoma to Bellingham (about 120 miles) and from the Puget Sound to Issaquah (17 miles).
- An expansion throughout the Chicago region. Clear now covers 1700 square miles and approximately 6.6 million people. Regionally, service extends as far north as Highland Park, south to Willowbrook, east to Lake Michigan and west to Geneva.
- An expansion in Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Austin, Texas. Across the state, Clear is now available in 11 cities, covering over 4,700 square miles and 8.5 million people.
Comcast is also launching WiMax in Chicago today. Comcast’s 4G packages start at $49.99 a month, a promotional price for one year of service. Comcast also will offer a higher-priced package that allows customers to tap into Sprint’s 3G network when 4G isn’t available. Chicago is the fourth city to get Comcast’s 4G service, after Philadelphia, Atlanta and Portland, Oregon.
That puts Clear slightly ahead of its goal of reaching 30 million people by the end of the year, according to CEO Bill Morrow.
I’ve been using a Clear WiMAX modem here in Portland for exactly one year, since December 1, 2008. It’s not as fast as my previous cable modem service and less reliable than my DSL service, but I like it.
I use Clear’s USB dongle on my Netbook and Motorola home modem for my desktop and get unlimited 6 Mbps service on both for $55/month.
Clear’s WiMAX service has now been my only internet connection for one year. I was attracted mainly by the cost savings. Mobility was less important since WiFi seems to be everywhere. Supplying on-location WiFi has been one of the bennies, although I managed to ruin two Clear Hotspots by plugging in the wrong power adapter.
Related Dailywireless articles on Clear include; Clearwire in Portland, Clearwire’s Launch Party in Portland, WiMAX Speed Test in Portland – 10 Mbps, Clear Launches Mobile WiMAX in Las Vegas, Atlanta Gets Mobile WiMAX, Xohm Marks the Spot, Clear’s Portland WiMAX Coverage Mapped, Sprint and Comcast Reselling Clear Service, Clear Launches 10 New Markets, Doubles Upload Speed, WiMAX: Passive/Aggresive?, Clearwire: Let’s be “Clear”, Green Light for New Clearwire, Clearwire: Show Us the Money, Future Bleak for WiMAX?, Korea’s WiBro in Trouble? and WiMAX Showdown in Texas
