Clearwire Talking To "Everybody" Regarding Spectrum, Capacity
For a company that doesn't sell any phones, Clearwire sure has been in the carrier news a lot lately. The company best known for helping Sprint out on the delivery of that WiMAX network is now in the news for something outside of The Now Network. Clearwire is reportedly in talks with various U.S. wireless operators, including AT&T and Verizon Wireless, with the topic of conversation being the sale of network capacity.
Not surprisingly, American carriers are looking everywhere for extra capacity. Smartphone usage has soared and in turn, so has data usage. There's obviously limits to how much can be distributed at any given time, and Clearwire's hoping that they can be the answer to a looming problem. Clearwire also has a problem; they need $900 million in new funding, and they seem to be open to selling wireless spectrum in order to garner some of that cash.
Chief Executive Eric Prusch told Reuters that Clearwire is "talking to everybody," which could mean even smaller regional carriers. So, spectrum for cash? Sounds like a win-win all around, but what happens if Clearwire a) can't come up with the funds to keep operating and b) no one is interested in the spectrum? Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Not surprisingly, American carriers are looking everywhere for extra capacity. Smartphone usage has soared and in turn, so has data usage. There's obviously limits to how much can be distributed at any given time, and Clearwire's hoping that they can be the answer to a looming problem. Clearwire also has a problem; they need $900 million in new funding, and they seem to be open to selling wireless spectrum in order to garner some of that cash.
Chief Executive Eric Prusch told Reuters that Clearwire is "talking to everybody," which could mean even smaller regional carriers. So, spectrum for cash? Sounds like a win-win all around, but what happens if Clearwire a) can't come up with the funds to keep operating and b) no one is interested in the spectrum? Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
