WiMAX corners Atlanta market

Clearwire has officially launched its WiMAX network in Atlanta, which the company says will provide services to nearly 3 million people over the span of 1,200 square miles.

Atlanta is the second major city to get commercial offerings of Clearwire’s WiMAX services this year, as the company lit up its network in Portland, Ore. earlier this year. Other cities due to get commercial WiMAX launches this year are Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Seattle.

Clearwire claims that its services typically deliver wireless download speeds of between 4 to 6Mbps, with “bursts” of up to 15Mbps. The company is offering fixed WiMAX hone Internet services starting at around $20 per month, while its mobile WiMAX plans are being offered starting at $40 per month. The company is also letting users purchase individual “day passes” that will provide them coverage for one day for $10.

By rolling out its WiMAX services in major cities, Clearwire is hoping to stay ahead of the curve of rival carriers AT&T and Verizon, which each plan to launch their own 4G mobile data services based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) in roughly two years' time. LTE is the latest variation of Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology and is seen as the natural progression of High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), the GSM technology that is currently used by carriers such as AT&T to deliver 3G mobile data services.

The current incarnation of Clearwire came into being last year, when Clearwire and Sprint combined their WiMAX businesses to create a new $14.5 billion mobile broadband company. In addition to forming their new joint WiMAX venture, the two companies secured $3.2 billion in total investments from several major tech and communications companies, including Google, Intel, Comcast, Time-Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. Under the strategic investment agreement signed by the companies, Sprint owns the largest stake in the new company at 51%, Clearwire owns about 27% of the company, and the group of five major investors owns 22%.

The company first launched its WiMAX services commercially in Baltimore last September.