Now that the formation of the new Clearwire company has been approved by the Feds as well as their shareholders, it is expected that the deal will be closing on December 1st. What does that mean for us WiMAX-hungry consumers, though?

The closure of the deal will give Clearwire access to a huge chunk of change (several billions of dollars courtesy of Intel and more) and they are going to put it right to use. Portland, Oregon is reported to be the first market deployed, and that will be happening soon - first quarter 2009 - followed by Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Grand Rapids. The lack of big city names like LA and New York is a bit disappointing, but they are hiring for many positions around the country, including Los Angeles and Texas, indicating that those areas will likely be Clearwire markets at some point.

For now, it's back to waiting for XOHM to switch their test markets (Chicago, Philly, et al) to official XOHM networks!

DC residents have had unofficial access to the XOHM network for a while now, like folks in Chicago and Dallas, but as of this week they are now a "real" XOHM city! XOHM.com is now including DC in their coverage maps:


Sprint must not be anticipating the Obamas needing WiMAX - the area surrounding the White House is wholly uncovered.

Switching from a test market to an official XOHM area should make a significant difference in the experience for the DC users. No more secret activations!

Are you in DC? Used XOHM yet? Share with us at 4G Forums!

Clearwire and Sprint have had to jump through a lot of hurdles since announcing their plans to join their WiMAX forces back in May of 2008. They faced opposition from AT&T, who unsuccessfully appealed to the FCC earlier this fall to try to stop the merger, as well as from iPCS, then had to wait for approval from the FCC (which they got earlier this month), and then were waiting on a vote from Clearwire stockholders to see that they had their stamp of approval.

It was finally given to the shareholders to vote upon on Thursday, and Clearwire's board of directors unanimously recommended to their shareholders that they vote in favor of the merger - and they did!

The transaction was approved by the shareholders yesterday and Clearwire (remember, the merged Sprint/Clearwire company is going under the name "Clearwire") now has the seal of approval from the law and the people. This is a big step and I'd expect to see their development and deployment schedule really ramp up now.

As Clearwire CEO Benjamin G. Wolff put it,

"Today, our shareholders have taken a transformative step toward enabling an entirely new mobile Internet experience for consumers and businesses across the country. With an unmatched spectrum portfolio, a next generation all IP network, an ever-expanding ecosystem of mobile 4G devices, and the backing of some of the most innovative communications, entertainment and technology companies in the world, Clearwire is ready to redefine mobile Internet services in the U.S."

Join the 4G Forums discussion about the new Clearwire

The Clearwire/Sprint merger may have been approved by the FCC earlier this month, but that doesn't mean the new WiMAX company is now 100% free to forge ahead with all of their plans. At least two companies have expressed a distaste for the merger - first AT&T, who tried to block the merger earlier this year, and also Illinois-based Sprint partner iPCS, who has a history of blocking Sprint from providing service from merged companies in their territories. Citing exclusivity clauses in their contract with Sprint, iPCS has gone to the courts in hopes of barring Sprint from offering any service from the new Clearwire network in their territories, which include areas of Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and Tennessee (check out the map above for more detail on where iPCS reigns).

Fortunately for Sprint/Clearwire, on Monday an Illinois circuit court told iPCS that they must immediately withdraw their request for a restraining order, meaning Sprint/Clearwire can move forward with their WiMAX development plans. This is great news for the new company, especially considering the precedent that was set when the Illinois court sided with iPCS when they complained about the Nextel merger. The court did provide an allowance for iPCS to re-file in the future, but for the time being Clearwire will be allowed to continue their development unfettered.

It has been reported that Clearwire plans on rolling out services in iPCS territories in July of 2009, and they have agreed to notify iPCS of their plans 60 days before launch. While it was reported that July 2009 would be the soonest WiMAX would be deployed in those regions, it was not made clear where exactly the service will become available first or which parts of the region will be covered.

Discuss iPCS vs Clearwire on the 4G Forums

A few weeks ago we broke the news that a tri-mode WiMAX/EVDO/HSDPA USB device was on the way, the Franklin U300. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the debut of this device, especially as more and more people are having success with WiMAX.

So where is it?!

Well, it's not here yet, but rumors have surfaced about pricing. These aren't official announcements, but the information sounds reasonable and will most likely prove to be true.

The full retail cost of the device itself - AKA the cost you pay without signing up for a 2-year contract - is alleged to be in the $300 range, comparable to the price of EVDO devices and phones without a contract. However, when you purchase it with a contract I'm sure it will be far cheaper.

As for the price of the service, it is rumored to be set at $79.99/month and require a 2-year contract. The EVDO service will be limited to 5GB, and the WiMAX will be unlimited (for now - Sprint has already hinted at applying a similar limit to WiMAX in the future).

Stay tuned for more information!

Read more and get the full specs on 4Ginfo.com
Discuss the U300 and other WiMAX devices on the 4G Forums

XOHM currently offers three modems for use on their WiMAX network, and they're all different formats: there's the Zyxel Home Modem, SWC-e100 ExpressCard, and their latest offering, the ZTE Tu25 USB dongle. So which one are you supposed to choose? Which one is the "best"? Do they all work the same?

We at 4Ginfo.com have tested all three available XOHM modems, and after comparing the performance and benefits of them we've put together some information that should help you make your choice!

Our Favorite: Zyxel Home Modem: If you're going to use XOHM primarily at home, the Zyxel is far and away the best choice. It's incredibly easy to set up and is compatible with any computer (it is the ONLY one that works with Macs right now) AND can be used with any standard router! It works just like a regular cable or DSL modem: just plug it into the wall and then either connect it directly to your computer via an ethernet cable or use it with a router. Its built-in antennas are powerful, and it is the only modem with antenna ports that can be used with future antennas, like EVDO aircards (there aren't any available yet, but stay tuned).

It also out-performed the other two options. We saw consistent download speeds of 4-5Mbps (even higher than XOHM promises on their site) and we were seeing consistent uploads of well over 1Mbps. Unless you're going to be traveling a lot and don't want to worry about having to find an outlet everywhere you go, this is definitely the best modem to go for.

First Runner Up: ZTE Tu25 USB Modem: If you want to go truly mobile, we suggest the USB option. It worked well for us, and obviously works with any PC that has an USB port (not on Macs, though!). As for speeds, we were able to occasionally hit download speeds of nearly 10Mbs, but the average speeds were much lower than that. The upload speeds, on the other hand, were significantly less than what we saw with the Home Modem, in the range of about 800Kbps as opposed to 1.2+Mbps.

Unlike the Home Modem, there probably won't be an option to hook up an external antenna to this modem. It does have two connectors on the bottom of the modem beneath the label, but they are u.fl connectors and not designed for repeated connecting and disconnecting of an antenna like we do for EVDO aircards.

And in a Distant Third Place: The Samsung ExpressCard: Unless you have too many peripheral devices taking up your USB ports or you just love ExpressCards, we do NOT recommend the SWC-e100 ExpressCard. There have been activation problems, and those that have been able to activate it have experienced slow speeds and difficultly staying connected to the network. In our tests, we maxed out at 1.5Mbps or so down and our fastest upload speed was 791 - the average upload speed was more like 500. Better than dial-up, but those are speeds we expect from EVDO Rev-A, not WiMAX. With the USB modem also available for "on-the-go" users, there is no reason to opt for the ExpressCard.

If you've used a XOHM modem, let us know if you agree with our opinions! Share your experience with the 4G community at the 4G Forums

Everyone appreciates a device that can serve more than one purpose (like the USB EVDO modems that can double as a flash drive!), and Franklin Wireless has released news that they're coming out with a potentially AWESOME device that is compatible with WiMAX, EVDO Rev-A, AND HSDPA! It's called the U300 and is made by C-Motech, and is set to become available by the end of the year.

I said that it was "potentially" awesome because at this point, we don't know much about it other than the technical specifications released by the company. There is speculation that it will be a pricey device - possibly in the $200-$300 range (but again, that is just speculation at this point), and how the usage will be charged is unknown, too. Sprint's XOHM service doesn't require a contract, but all EVDO providers do. Most likely, we will still be required to sign a contract if we want to use the U300 for EVDO, but hopefully WiMAX will remain contract free. As for monthly costs, I would imagine we'll be paying for both services at full price. Another question is whether it has an antenna port on it - while there aren't currently any antennas available for WiMAX devices, there will be in the future and a lack of antenna port could be a deal breaker for many users. As for use in a router, that's another question that probably won't be answered for a while.

If the u300 is as good as it sounds up front, it will likely become a huge hit.

Read more and get the full specs on 4Ginfo.com
Discuss the U300 and other WiMAX devices on the 4G Forums