Clearwire considers skipping debt payment, shares plunge

Erik Prusch

Shares of Kirkland-based mobile broadband company Clearwire fell more than 20 percent in trading today after its CEO told the Wall Street Journal that it’s contemplating skipping a $237 million debt payment, due Dec. 1, to help conserve its cash. “It’s a very expensive payment that we have,” said Erik Prusch, the company’s CEO since… Read More…

Clearwire, China Mobile to partner on smartphones, tablets and other LTE devices

clear

China Mobile and Clearwire have entered into a partnership to work together on new TD-LTE devices, including tablet computers and smartphones. In a press release, the company said that they will jointly work to “further accelerate the time-to-market availability of high volume TD-LTE chipsets and devices that should be commercially available starting in 2012.” CNET… Read More…

Report: Sprint may buy Clearwire outright to solve funding crisis

clearmodem

Sprint, already the majority owner of Kirkland-based wireless broadband company Clearwire, is in talks with other investors that could result in Sprint owning Clearwire outright, according to a Bloomberg News report this morning, citing three anonymous sources familiar with the discussions. Bloomberg cautions that the talks are still preliminary. It’s the latest in a string… Read More…

Shares of Clearwire plummet after Sprint inks deal with LightSquared

clearwire1

Shares of Clearwire sank nearly 20 percent this morning after Sprint inked a network hosting deal with LightSquared valued at $9 billion over the next 15 years. Sprint owns a majority share of Clearwire, but its anticipated alliance with LTE network provider LightSquared could signal a big shift away from the WiMax technology used by… Read More…

Verizon to expand LTE 4G wireless network in the Pacific Northwest

4glte1

In a series of announcements today, Verizon Wireless said that it plans to bring its new LTE service to Portland, Olympia, Tacoma and other cities in the Pacific Northwest. The network, which provides speeds that are 10 times faster than Verizon’s current 3G network, is set to debut on July 21 in those cities. Verizon… Read More…

Thunderbolt vs. Charge: Study compares Verizon LTE rivals

chargethunder

Mobile research company RootMetrics is out with a new study today that will pique the interest of anyone considering a new phone on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. The Bellevue-based firm ran extensive tests of the HTC Thunderbolt and the Samsung Droid Charge on Verizon’s network in Seattle to compare the performance of the rival devices…. Read More…

Rewind: Why your wireless coverage stinks, and how it could improve

Paul Griff, RootMetrics CEO, in the KIRO studios

Our guest this past weekend on the GeekWire Podcast was mobile industry veteran Paul Griff, the CEO of wireless research company RootMetrics, who joined us to talk about the ins and outs of wireless coverage, AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA, and up-and-coming mobile technologies, including his company’s tests of Verizon’s LTE network. If you… Read More…

AT&T’s T-Mobile bid? There’s a (Verizon) map for that

verizon

Tracking huge corporate acquisitions can feel at times like stepping into the Twilight Zone, and it looks like AT&T’s $39 billion agreement to purchase T-Mobile USA will be no exception. AT&T, which has famously battled with Verizon over the quality and size of their respective networks, is including this slide in the supporting materials for… Read More…