Clearwire Tees Up 10 More Markets

Clearwire plans to launch broadband wireless service in 10 markets in Texas, Washington state and Idaho on Sept. 1.

Cities on tap for the WiMax-based service, which offers up to 10 Mbps downstream, launches are Boise, Idaho; Bellingham, Wash.; and eight Texas markets, including: Abilene, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, Killeen/Temple, Waco and Wichita Falls.

The company's investors include Sprint Nextel -- which owns a 51% stake -- along with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Google and Intel.

Clearwire's 4G network service is now available in four markets: Baltimore, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Portland, Ore. Other markets scheduled to launch in 2009 include Chicago; Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas/Ft. Worth; Honolulu; Philadelphia and Seattle.

Currently, Comcast is the only Clearwire partner that has launched its own service, in Portland and Atlanta.

Time Warner Cable last week said it plans to begin reselling Clearwire's WiMax service in four markets in the second half of 2009, including Charlotte, N.C., and Dallas, while Sprint said it will launch WiMax service in August in Las Vegas, Atlanta and Portland.

By the end of 2010, Clearwire plans to bring the WiMax service to 80 markets covering up to 120 million people, in markets to include New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston and the San Francisco Bay Area.