Jeannie Weaver on Clearwire's 4G Service - The Future of Mobility? - Page 2
What roles do you see big investors, Sprint, Google and Intel playing in Clearwire’s future?
Sprint holds 51% of Clearwire and they have provided the funding that is allowing us to build out our network. Intel is creating laptops and other hardware with built in WiMAX capabilities, and Google will continue to assist Clearwire strategically.
Comcast is currently reselling our service under their brand, and advantage to Clearwire because we benefit when network usage increases.
What does the future of mobility look like and how do you see Clearwire affecting that future?
I think we already are. Having the capability to accomplish things on the go, but have an experience like a home broadband connection is amazing. Clearwire will effectively support and drive a better mobile experience while helping to feed the cloud.
Also, imagine if the 4G network were implemented in, for instance, Chicago’s parking meter system—there’s a huge lag time when a customer uses a card to pay, resulting in a long wait. The ability to speed things up can make so many day-to-day things easier—and safer. For public safety purposes, the ability to live stream video could bring surveillance to a higher level of efficiency. Devices with built in WiMAX capabilities will become more common as manufacturers rush to provide consumers with the ability to lifestream rich content to their personal and social networks on the go.
How do you see the future playing out between LTE (Long Term Evolution) and Clearwire 4G?
Both technologies are sound and in the future, 4G will seem like a commodity. Yet, we have the advantage of speed to market. We'll see how the rest plays out in 8-12 months as LTE goes online in major metropolitan areas.
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