Sprint-Clearwire Merger Gets FCC Approval: Nationwide WiMax on Horizon

November 11, 2008

By Mike Peters

After receiving FCC approval, Clearwire Corporation and Sprint Nextel have announced a definitive agreement that will enable them to combine their next-generation wireless broadband businesses to form a new wireless communications company.

Sprint and Clearwire Create Next-Generation Mobile Broadband Network

The new company, which will be named Clearwire, will be focused on expediting the deployment of the first nationwide mobile WiMAX network to provide a true mobile broadband experience for consumers, small businesses, medium and large enterprises, public safety organizations, and educational institutions. The new Clearwire expects to dramatically enhance the speed and manner in which customers access all that the Internet has to offer at home, in the office, and on the road. Sprint and Clearwire also announced today that five innovative technology, content, and communications leaders - Intel Corporation through Intel Capital, Google Inc., Comcast Corporation, Time Warner Cable Inc., and Bright House Networks - have collectively agreed to invest $3.2 billion in the new company.

Clearwire to Provide WiMAX Speed, Coverage, and Flexibility Nationwide

Clearwire chairman, Craig O. McCaw, said, "The power of the mobile Internet, which offers speed and mobility, home and away, on any device or screen, will fundamentally transform the communications landscape in our country. We believe that the new Clearwire will operate one of the fastest and most capable broadband wireless networks ever conceived, giving us the opportunity to return the U.S. to a leadership position in the global wireless industry." "This agreement is a historic step forward for WiMAX as it represents the first nationwide deployment of a next-generation mobile broadband Internet in the U.S.," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "The agreement also signifies growing industry support for WiMAX. Given its flexibility, coverage, and speed, WiMAX will enable the mobile Internet and is already opening doors to a host of new and exciting applications, devices, and business models around the world."