Summary
1. The lead press release from Clearwire at CTIA had nothing to do with all of the metros that it supposedly plans to enter. 2. The effects of the new corporate leadership are already noticeable. 3. It is interesting that the PR department probably felt compelled to throw in three sub-headlines in the original press release issued to Business Wire -- to perhaps give it a little bit more heft.
Analysis
It was certainly toned down from the last announcement regarding Portland calling it “a historic day,” in that subscribers can get “broadband speeds...on the go.” Of course, it was still as long as they stay in the “coverage area.”
Given all of the hype about a widespread footprint, a “WiMAX hotpsot” at the moment almost sounds like an oxymoron. Now the discussion surrounds adding Clearwire’s capabilities to “the ubiquity of Wi-Fi.” Taken to an extreme, it is kind of like of saying, “fitting a King sized-bed into a one-room Manhattan apartment.”
Sprint’s procrastination in getting out its “hotspot” in Baltimore appears to be based on its desire to move more in an LTE direction. While with Clearwire, it is a sign of a more sane strategy. And there is the hope that Clearwire will continue in a direction that makes sense from a business point of view.
