Clearwire

Editors' note: This is a guest column. See Roger Entner's bio below.

One thing is clear about Clearwire: no matter what happens, it needs Sprint more than ever.

Just look at 2011. The 4G WiMax service provider's best news was the increase in subscribers, from 4.4 million to 10.4 million. Impressive as that was, it came solely on the back of Sprint.

With growth like that, and lingering fears about its survival, you'd think Clearwire would play nice. But Clearwire played a high-risk game of chicken with Sprint during negotiations to extend its resale agreement, … Read more

Did Sprint Nextel really need the iPhone?

That's what one Wall Street analyst is asking after looking at the company's year-end performance, which Sprint disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday. The results show that a bulk of Sprint's customers would have joined the carrier regardless of whether the iPhone was available, and only a fraction of the customers would have left the service for the iPhone elsewhere. Sprint began carrying the iPhone in October.

The numbers, while still early, fly in the face of Sprint's repeated comments that the iPhone is … Read more

Cricket has signed on to use Clearwire's forthcoming 4G LTE network to augment its own next-generation deployment.

Cricket, owned by parent Leap Wireless, and Clearwire said today that they have signed a five-year wholesale deal. While Cricket is building a 4G LTE network across two-thirds of its own territory over the next three years, it will need Clearwire's wider reach and ability to relieve its own traffic load.

Clearwire is in a strong position as the only wholesale partner left in town after the implosion of LightSquared. Clearwire secured financing from Sprint Nextel--its largest customer and investor--and has … Read more

Offering this USB modem stick for free--if you factor out the 2-year contract and $50 mail-in-rebate--Sprint must be really trying to purge the 3G/4G Plug-in-Connect from its inventory. Perhaps it's because the modem likely only connects to the carrier's original WiMax 4G network and not its fancy LTE infrastructure in the works to enable 4G surfing. … Read more

China may hold back on moving into 4G LTE even as the U.S. carriers race ahead to roll out next-generation networks.

The Chinese government is looking to hold back on granting the licenses required for its own carriers to deploy 4G LTE, according to a report from PC World, which cited local state-owned TV. The government said it may wait two to three years before granting the licenses, citing a need by carriers to expand the current 3G network equipment, as well as to wait for broader support for a variant of LTE called TD-LTE.

A delay could have … Read more

Google has sold off its stake in Clearwire to Credit Suisse, according to a new report.

Citing an unidentified source, Bloomberg is reporting that Google sold 29.4 million Clearwire shares to Credit Suisse for $2.26 each. Bloomberg says Google announced that it had sold the shares in an SEC filing, but did not say which company had acquired them.

Google announced plans to sell its Clearwire stake last month. Google initially said that it would sell its shares for $1.60 apiece, but it was able to unload them at around the company's current stock price, which … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Apple's iPhone has been making the rounds at all the carriers. So why not Clearwire?

Clearwire's planned move to LTE means Apple wouldn't have any difficulties in building an iPhone that is compatible with its network, according to Clearwire CEO Eric Prusch. In fact, it would benefit Apple to have an iPhone that ran on its kind of network technology, he said.

Such a notion would have been unthinkable even a few months ago, when Clearwire was stuck on its WiMax network and struggling financially. But after some financing and a cash infusion from Sprint Nextel--simultaneously … Read more

Sprint was just hours away from acquiring Metro PCS in an $8 billion deal when Sprint's board nixed the agreement, CNBC is reporting.

Citing unnamed sources, CNBC's David Faber said the two companies had been working on the plan for months and that a deal was expected to be announced after Sprint's board met late Wednesday. Metro PCS shareholders would have received Sprint shares and some cash, amounting to ownership of about a third of the combined company, Faber said.

It's not clear why the board demurred, Faber said, adding that Sprint CEO Dan Hesse had … Read more

Clearwire has lost an important, but small, shareholder.

Google earlier this month sent letters to both Comcast and Sprint, informing the companies that it plans to divest its ownership in Clearwire for $47 million. That sum, which is derived from Google's sale of 29.4 million shares at $1.60 apiece, is actually a discount on Clearwire's current stock price of $2.27.

Google didn't say in the letters, dated February 7 and 16, respectively, why it has decided to step away from Clearwire. But based on Clearwire's recent funding troubles and perceived weakness, it's … Read more