resource center
  See your link here
|
IDG News Service - The WiMax joint venture between Sprint and Clearwire Corp. could be good news for end users, who might soon be able to choose from a variety of new and competing broadband services.
The deal, announced Wednesday, includes investments totaling $3.2 billion from Intel, Google, Time Warner Cable, Comcast and Bright House Networks. Each of the investor companies will be able to offer a self-branded service to customers.
In addition, end users will be able to buy services from Clearwire, although branding for that service hasn't been determined, according to Barry West, who is chief technology officer for 4G services at Sprint and will be president of the new Clearwire. Xohm, Sprint's brand for WiMax, may still be used, he said. The venture will be called Clearwire because it's really a relaunch of the existing company and was easier to accomplish than launching a totally new entity, West said.
It remains to be seen whether the various partners will sell very different services under their individual brands, but the potential to do so is there.
"I think there's a lot of room for differentiation," she said, although she cautioned that we'll have to wait and see if the partners take advantage of the potential.
In addition, the fact that the new Clearwire will be separate from Sprint could allow it the freedom to develop innovative services, West said. "It's kind of nice that the new company will have some ... independence from Sprint, so we can create the new rules for the business model," West said. Exact details haven't been worked out, but it will be a far different business from cellular, he said. For example, there won't be any post-paid plans. In addition, Clearwire will reach most customers through devices they buy at retail with no significant price subsidy, he said.
It's unclear, however, how that policy will affect the partners, some of which don't exactly have a clean track record in regard to open network policies. Clearwire has made waves historically for blocking VoIP traffic, and Comcast has recently come under fire for blocking pee
IDG.net
Businesses Take BC Planning More Seriously
Keys for Business Continuity Planning in 2010. Read More Now!
Web 2.0, Social Media and the Dark Web - A Web Criminals Paradise?
In this discussion, learn about the challenges of protecting your users from the potentially unsafe content hidden in the "Dark Web".
File Integrity Monitoring: Secure Your Virtual and Physical IT Environments
Learn how integrity monitoring software solutions enable IT organizations to achieve and maintain configuration control.
Virtualize Microsoft Applications on VMware
Register for this live webcast now!
Unified Communications and Your Business: The Myths, the Market Drivers and What You Need to Know
Map out a strategy for implementing a seamless Unified Communications experience. Learn how now.
Accelerating Your Mobile Workers: Controlling the Uncontrollable
Today's workforce is truly mobile. Unlike the managed environment of the office LAN, remote users face many challenges to being productive while out...
The Three Ps of Evaluating Managed Network Services: Portfolio, Partnerships and Processes
Three things you must consider when evaluating network management services: who, what and how.
Aligning IT to Business: The Rising Importance of Application Delivery Networks
Application Delivery Networking (ADN) will play a vital role in helping enterprises incorporate strategic technologies to achieve business initiatives.
Network Managed Services: A Cost-Effective Approach to Complexity
Outsourcing network management can save time and drive lower total cost of ownership.
Mitigate Risk, Lower Costs and Improve Network Efficiency
Create a stable IP network that not only meets today's challenges, but is flexible enough to also meet future demands.
Sign up to receive updates on the latest Networking and Internet resources
Disaster Recovery & Cost Savings Zone
Thousands of customers world-wide have turned to virtualization solutions from Riverbed as a way to reduce costs.
CIO
Computerworld
CSO
DEMO
GamePro
Games.net
IDC
IDG
IDG Connect
IDG Knowledge Hub
IDG TechNetwork
IDG Ventures
IDG.net
InfoWorld
ITwhitepapers
ITworld
JavaWorld
LinuxWorld
Macworld
Network World
PC World
The Industry Standard
Copyright © 1994 - 2010 Computerworld Inc. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium
without express written permission ofComputerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc. |
