Clearwire launches WiMAX in Atlanta

Clearwire Corp. on Tuesday officially launched mobile WiMAX in Atlanta, where it is available to almost 3 million people.

Atlanta Business Chronicle first reported the launch in May, when the company first started taking customer orders. Atlanta is the company's biggest market to date.

The ultra-fast, high-capacity mobile broadband service, branded Clear, covers about 1,200 square miles, Kirkland, Wash.-based Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR) said. Clearwire is also building six retail outlets here.

Clearwire's wireless high-speed service allows greater mobility than cable or DSL. Subscribers can access service anywhere in Clearwire's coverage via a USB modem, or by plugging in their residential modem into an electric outlet.

In Atlanta, Clearwire offers 4G WiMAX wireless broadband service that delivers download speeds of up to 6 Mbps.

High-speed plans range from $20 to $50 a month. Bundled plans, including telephone service, are also available.

Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) is majority owner of Clearwire, which includes Sprint’s former WiMAX unit. The $14.5 billion deal to form the new Clearwire closed on Nov. 28, combining Sprint’s and Clearwire’s WiMAX assets and including $3.2 billion from several strategic investors.

Products compatible with Clear include modems, Wi-Fi devices and WiMAX-compatible laptops. A modem compatible with both WiMAX and earlier technologies will be available in the summer. A WiMAX-enabled handheld device, the Samsung Mondi, also will be available soon, the release said.

Clearwire, based in Kirkland, Wash., already has launched WiMAX service in Baltimore and Portland. The company plans to launch Clear in Las Vegas later in the summer. Other cities slated for WiMAX this year include Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia and Seattle. Markets planned for service in 2010 include New York, Boston, Washington, Houston and the San Francisco Bay area.

Clearwire plans to offer Clear in 80 markets and to as many as 120 million people by the end of 2010.

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