WiMax

The days of Sprint as WiMax's champion are officially over.

Earlier this morning, Bob Azzi, senior vice president of networks at Sprint, told attendees at the Competitive Carriers Global Expo that Sprint is through launching devices that use the WiMax 4G technology.

Considering that Sprint announced its first 4G LTE phone at CES, the unreleased Samsung Galaxy Nexus, it's no surprise that the carrier is throwing focus and resources squarely -- and solely -- behind LTE.

Azzi amplified the sentiment, Fierce Wireless reported. "We are wrapping up final field integration tests," he told the audience. "… Read more

4G handsets grabbed 35 percent of the smartphone market in the fourth quarter, up from just 6 percent a year earlier, NPD said yesterday.

Among the various 4G flavors, HSPA+ was the most prevalent, representing 22 percent of all smartphone sales. Deployed by AT&T and T-Mobile, HSPA+ got a huge boost in the fourth quarter from the iPhone 4S, which uses the high-speed technology on AT&T's network.

AT&T iPhone owners who updated to iOS 5.1 last week were surprised to see the setting next to the AT&T logo change from 3G to 4G. … Read more

Wireless operator Clearwire's fourth-quarter results were fairly disappointing, but at least its longer term prospects are starting to brighten.

The company, which supplies Sprint Nextel with 4G WiMax wireless service, reported a fourth-quarter loss of $236.8 million, or 81 cents a share, compared with a year-ago loss of $128 million, or 79 cents a share.

Revenue, however, more than doubled to $361.9 million as the company started picking itself up off the mat.

Wall Street analysts were looking for Clearwire to lose 35 cents a share and post revenue of $356.7 million. The company released its revenue and customer growth figures early. … Read more

It appears Clearwire's got some of its confidence back.

The 4G WiMax service provider has released select preliminary results from its fourth quarter, including revenue that was double that of a year ago--$362 million, compared with the year-ago $181 million. The upswing was primarily driven by growth in its wholesale business.

The figure exceeded analysts' average estimate of $355 million in revenue for the period, according to a survey taken by Thomson Reuters.

Clearwire is likely breathing a sigh of relief after several months of uncertainty over its ability to obtain the needed financing to continue its operations, … Read more

Sprint Nextel is looking to get its 4G LTE rolled out sooner, rather than later.

Sprint plans to launch its 4G LTE service, part of its Network Vision upgrade plan, in 10 markets by the first half of the year. That includes major cities including Dallas (AT&T's headquarters), San Antonio, Houston, and Atlanta, CEO Dan Hesse said today during an investor conference. The event was Webcast.

The timing adds a little specificity to its 4G LTE plans. The company previously said it expects to launch the service by midsummer. Sprint, which has for years relied on Clearwire'… Read more

Clearwire shareholders and customers can breathe a sigh of relief now.

The wholesale 4G network provider said today it raised $734 million in its latest stock offering, shoring up its cash position just as it was facing potential issues meeting its financial obligations. The funds include $402.5 million from the stock offering, and another $331.4 million from Sprint Nextel, its largest customer and shareholder.

The funding prevented Clearwire from potentially missing out on a debt payment, a threat the company laid out publicly during its negotiations with Sprint. The company initially planned a $300 million stock offering, but … Read more

Clearwire is on its way to shoring up its coffers.

The mobile broadband provider and wholesaler said it is planning a public stock offering of $300 million. It's unclear how many shareholders are willing to re-up on a stock that has fallen 60 percent this year.

The funds are critical to Clearwire's continued ability to operate and upgrade its existing WiMax network to a newer technology called LTE. Last week, Sprint Nextel swooped in and saved the company by committing up to $1.6 billion in financing. Sprint, along with being the majority shareholder, is also Clearwire's … Read more

Cable providers Comcast and Time Warner Cable will stop reselling Clearwire's 4G wireless service following their agreement to hand off their unused mobile spectrum to Verizon Wireless for $3.6 billion, CNET has learned.

Part of the Verizon deal gives the cable companies the right to resell Verizon's wireless service, which will become the cable providers' exclusive partner once the spectrum aspect of the agreement goes through, said Time Warner Cable spokesman Alexander Dudley.

Both companies will slowly wind down their Clearwire business over the next six months, and plan to move their existing customers to other options. … Read more

Clearwire is considering whether or not to make a major loan payment as the cash-strapped wireless provider looks for financing options.

The company is supposed to make a $237 million payment on December 1. With $698 million in cash and short-term investments as of September 30, it can certainly meet the obligation, but at the cost of a significant chunk of its remaining war chest. As a result, the company is debating whether to skip the payment, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Clearwire, which operates a 4G WiMax network used by Sprint Nextel and other wireless resellers, is at … Read more