Clearwire Plants 4G WiMax Flag In Atlanta
According to Clearwire, Atlanta marks the largest metro WiMax network in the U.S., with CLEAR WiMax now available to nearly 3 million people across roughly 1,200 square miles.
Cleawire's CLEAR network gives consumers and businesses high-speed wireless access to the Internet, at true broadband speeds.
"By delivering broadband connectivity to people, and not just places, we now offer Atlantans the freedom to enjoy super-fast Internet access wherever they go in our coverage area," Marc Brachman, general manager of Atlanta market for Clearwire, said in a statement. "Whether it's a busy parent who wants full Internet connectivity in the back of the family minivan, a small business owner looking to conduct online video chats with customers from the field, a person looking to access entertainment sites like Hulu without being tied to a fixed-location, or a college student simply looking for one Internet service provider to meet their needs at home and on-the-go, CLEAR delivers. We're providing a valuable, new kind of Internet service designed to make our customers' lives more enjoyable and more productive, wherever they happen to be in our coverage area."
Clearwire claims its 4G WiMax service outshines current 3G wireless networks, delivering download speeds of 4 to 6 Mbps with bursts that can exceed 15 Mbps. That surpasses the 1.0 and 1.7 Mbps offered by 3G and the 7.2 Mbps max speeds that will be unleashed through 3G upgrades.
In Atlanta, the CLEAR network uses an area-wide WiMax radio system from Motorola. Mobile and residential plans can be purchased by the day or by the month without long-term service contracts. According to Clearwire, home Internet plans start at $20 per month, while mobile plans start at $40 per month. WiMax users can also buy day passes for $10.
Atlanta marks the third metropolitan deployment for Clearwire's CLEAR 4G WiMax. The service is already available in Baltimore and Portland, Ore. Clearwire added that a host of other deployments are coming soon, with 80 markets planned by the end of 2010. This year, Clearwire plans to launch CLEAR in Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia and Seattle; while New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Houston and San Francisco are planned for 2010.