As we look back on all of the wireless-related news of the last couple days about tiered pricing and next-gen networks, we thought we'd comment on why unlimited plans continue to work for Clearwire (News - Alert) and our customers.
While large wireless carriers are moving away from unlimited data plans or signaling a desire to do so, Clearwire continues to offer unlimited data plans on a faster, open 4G network. You might ask why Clearwire can do this, while larger incumbents can't. The answer is simple. We have an all-IP network and unrivaled spectrum position, providing unmatched capacity to deliver mobile data. To put it in terms of old landline technology, our 'pipe' is much bigger - several times that of incumbent carriers.
This is why technological debates about radio standards (WiMAX vs. LTE (News - Alert) vs. HSPA+) are misplaced, and why larger incumbents are moving to tiered pricing despite plans to upgrade their networks to new technologies. We know that customers want faster speeds and more usage at a good price. Our cost efficient, high capacity, and highly-scalable all IP-network backbone, combined with our unmatched spectrum position gives us a unique and sustainable advantage to serve our retail and wholesale businesses.
Our open network, means that Wi-Fi equipped devices including those manufactured by Apple (News - Alert) for example, can access our network using our personal 4G/Wi-Fi hotspot. Here's a link to a video that we recorded last year demonstrating an iPhone (News - Alert) running on our 4G network vs. a 3G network.
About the Author: Mike DiGioia is a spokesman for service provider Clearwire, whose CLEAR service is currently available in dozens of cities, in areas of the United States where 44 million people live.
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