Clearwire Hits PDX

Launching under the WiMax moniker (apparently, they were taken with my name), Clearwire has rolled first into Baltimore and second into Portland.  The high-speed wireless service is backed by a consortium of private-enterprise companies including Sprint, Clearwire itself, Intel Corp., Google Inc. and several cable companies.

They're doing what CoPo tried (and of course failed miserably) to do.  One big reason why Wimax is set to move is that unlike the City of Portland model - it's a pay to play setup.  It seems that Clearwire also likes the Chicago model of political involvement.

So what've they got?  $30 a month buys you high-speed access anywhere within the metropolitan cloud, and they're claiming delivery of a 6Mbit/sec download speed for residences.  For mobiles using a USB modem, it's a tad slower: 4Mbit/sec.

Still respectable.  And more reliable than anything the CoPo partnership was able to establish.  This is a rollout with clout.

Comments

[Bobkat49]

Hope it works out. Maybe they will come to Eugene someday. I have Comcast right now but only get 5 down and 2.5 up. Also they are very expensive about 45 dollars a month. I might switch to Qwest DSL but I think in my area the best I can get is 1.5 down which seems way too slow. What do you think?

[Max]

Hey dude...I'm thinking you're best served by sticking with Comcast at the moment. In today's news:

"In a separate and unrelated transition, Comcast is switching most customers in the Portland-metro area from analog signals to digital. Many Comcast customers already have digital cable, which offers more channels and high-definition programs, but may not have digital on every TV in their house. They'll need the gear whether their TV is digital or not.

On Thursday, the company defended the timing of its switch and emphasized that customers will benefit from expanded high-def programming right away and faster Web connections down the road."

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1231476915177900.xml&coll=7

We use Comcast, although we have the full-bore package (television, phone, and internet). I almost never watch tv or use the phone, but the girls are pretty intensive in that regard. Intertube speed runs at around 8/4, though their powerboost feature is supposed to speed that up to some degree.

In most cases, speed is going to be limited more by the processor, ram, and other configuration facets of the connected systems than by the ISP itself.

Qwest isn't really any faster than standard satellite connections, although in the PDX area they've been recently boasting of enhanced speeds. FIOS in the PDX area offers up to 10/2 for $100 a month with a year contract (it's a bundle, too - telephone, tv, internet). If you find that Comcast isn't going to upgrade as they're doing in PDX, you might look into FIOS.

Best!