Free report: A look inside Clearwire’s network
After a year of aggressive market launches across the U.S., Clearwire Corp. is becoming fairly well recognized for its pioneering use of the wireless broadband technology known as WiMAX, the “Wi-Fi on steroids” technology that allows providers like Clearwire to build “hotspots the size of a city.”
While WiMAX’s ability to provide broadband Internet access with cellular-like mobility is certainly the most recognizable attribute of Clearwire’s deployments, there is a lesser-known but just as important level of innovation taking place inside the company’s network, from the connections to the Internet’s core out through the radio towers and down to the end-user devices.
Those internal-network achievements, including Clearwire’s primary use of microwave for traffic “backhaul” and its open, Internet Protocol-based core infrastructure, are not only providing Clearwire with an instant competitive advantage, but are perhaps part of a burgeoning blueprint for next-generation service providers looking for ways to cut costs while providing bandwidth to a user base that is more demanding and more mobile with every passing day.
There’s no way to explain all the details of Clearwire’s network innovations in a simple blog post — but for the amazing cost of FREE, you can download our latest report, titled Inside Clearwire: A Network Report. Our latest deep-dive research and analysis provides a thorough explanation of the design of Clearwire’s internal networks, how different technologies affect its deployment, and how cost savings can be achieved by adhering to an open-Internet idea. Click here to download your free copy today!
What’s inside the “Inside Clearwire” report? Glad you asked. Here are some handy bullet points of what kind of info you will find inside:
– How Clearwire’s emphasis on using microwave backhaul gives it a cost-savings and flexibility of deployment edge over traditional wireline systems
– Why using an open-standards approach to infrastructure allows Clearwire to select “best of breed” suppliers and avoid monopoly lock-ins
– How Clearwire’s spectrum portfolio gives it room for future bandwidth demands while keeping tower-site expenditures to a minimum
– How Clearwire’s current network infrastructure decisions might lead to a more open environment for device and application development in the future
Click here to download your copy today!
Related posts:
Loading ...
Man, is this report chock-full of errors.
Some quotes:
“In cellular 2G or 3G data implementations, Clearwire’s Saw said that a single vendor almost always provided all the different pieces of gear needed, often at a premium cost. “What we wanted to do with Clearwire was break the monopoly between the base
station provider and the gateway provider,” Saw said. “In a 3G network these are always supplied by the same vendor, making you beholden to a Nokia or an Ericsson. Even though the spec says they are supposed to talk to other companies’ products, they do not interact.”"
Totally false!
All big 3G operators have multiple vendors for the access network, and necessarily _proven_ interworking with different vendor core network equipment.
“Since Clearwire is building a data-only network, its tower-site infrastructure needs are much simpler than cellular”
Voice and data traffic are separated in the core network. What does voice support have to do with the tower-site?
“”since we use fiber to the antennas, not coax, we don’t weigh down the towers,” Saw said”
Almost all (if not all) 3G suppliers have fiber to the antenna solutions.
In fact there is no reason to expect a wimax site to be cheaper than a 3G site.
The interesting part of the report – and on which it spends the most time – is the large swath of spectrum – 150 Mhz – that Clearwire has in the 2.5 GHz band. That certainly is an advantage compared to most 3G operators which have 10 or 15 MHz.
Makes you wonder, though, about the fairness of the US regulatory process.
CS, thanks for your kind comments. But unless you offer some proof behind them, they’re just your opinions.
On the interoperability question — both Dr. Saw and Motorola’s Bruce Brda said that theoretically 3G gear is supposed to interoperate, but in practice most installations are single-vendor. Unless you have keys to a site and are willing to show us something different, I will err on the side of their expertise.
Voice is a concern at the tower site because it needs its own gear; unless the telcos are renting those buildings as apartments, *something* is taking up all that space.
In terms of 3G using fiber to the antennas — every site I have seen has thick coax going up the tower from the cell equipment shed. Again, maybe you know differently but all the evidence I have seen and all the information smart folks like Saw and Brda (and others in the industry) point in the other direction. And almost everyone agrees, WiMax sites are indeed cheaper to build and operate.
On the spectrum side — look for another report soon. Not sure what you mean by the “fairness” of the US regulatory process, but if it’s like any of your earlier arguments it’s probably not based on a lot of fact.
Be careful, since my upgrade to Clear (formerly Clearwire) WiMax I’ve had nothing but terrible performance.
High latency and heavy packet loss for several weeks now.
The service is mostly unusable.
Steve,
As a CLEAR Dealer I would like to know where your service has been unstable? I may be able to help if I could get more info. have you also called 888-888-3113 to get customer support to correct the problem?
I have several customers that are satisfied and have no problem with the signal, so I want to help you in your concerns.
I am hoping you have found a fix to your issues, if not contact me and I will do my best to help.