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Wednesday June 10, 2009
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 Clearwire quietly launched their Clear WiMax service in Las Vegas today, but their partner Sprint demurred, keeping the two companies' WiMax systems still separate for now.
"We're acting as two different business sellers and retailers, and we have different products and services," Sprint spokeswoman Stephanie Vinge-Walsh said. "4G is on its way, and we're still on our plan."
The Clearwire/Sprint WiMax network lets PCs get online with tested download speeds as high as 8 megabits/sec, faster than some land-based Internet systems. It is not currently available in any handheld devices, but rumors have suggested the Samsung Mondi handheld computer would come out on Sprint's network for several months now.
Currently, Clear is available in Las Vegas, Portland, OR and Atlanta. Sprint's service, Sprint 4G, is available in Baltimore, MD. For months now, both companies have been saying they'll start coordinating operations this summer. Connecting them makes sense, because Sprint's system is actually run by Clearwire; Sprint is just renting it back from them.
Vinge-Walsh said Sprint's delay is related to the carrier's desire to launch some new devices on their 4G network.
"The devices that we're offering are meant to maximize both networks. We have some new things coming out, and those are the reasons for the variation in timing," she said.
Eventually, though, Sprint will launch 4G cities within a "day or two" of Clearwire turning them on, Vinge-Walsh said.
Sprint currently offers one WiMax device, the Samsung U300 USB modem, which roams between 3G and WiMax modes depending on available coverage. The company also still sells two WiMax modems exclusively in Baltimore under the brand name Xohm.
Sprint's path to 4G has been rocky. The company launched their Xohm network in Baltimore in September 2008, but then quickly sold their WiMax interests to Clearwire. Clearwire pledged to eliminate the Xohm name in favor of Clear, and to let Sprint offer WiMax service under the Sprint 4G brand, but integrating Clearwire's and Sprint's operations has taken months.
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