It may only be two characters long, but the term 4G has had no problems making its way into national headlines. Given all the chatter about 4G deployments and standards, we would like to share with our blog readers a video that was originally shared at the recent 4G World® Conference in Chicago. The following video and Q&A describe Clearwire’s LTE trials as well as provide a candid dialogue with Dr. John Saw, Clearwire’s CTO, explaining why these trials were conducted, why spectrum size matters, and what these trials mean for the future of Clearwire.
First, the video:
Note that these speeds were achieved on an unloaded network so they are higher than what the average consumer would see in a real-world scenario. Even on a loaded network, Clearwire’s spectrum advantage could allow it to provide people with the fastest 4G service in the U.S.
Next up is an Q&A transcript from a recent conversation with Dr. John Saw that puts perspective on the video you just watched:
Clear Blog: Remind our readers, what are these technical trials all about?
Saw: In Phoenix we are conducting 4G LTE technology trials to test multiple coexistence scenarios between LTE and WiMAX radio technologies. The goal is to basically see what we’re capable of and show wireless speeds that are unmatched in the U.S.
Clear Blog: And how are the results looking?
Saw: Fast. We’ve clocked download speeds of 50Mbps using 10MHz channels and 90Mbps using 20MHz channels.
Clear Blog: How does this compare to the competition, specifically Verizon?
Saw: Verizon claims to have download speeds between 5Mbps and 12Mbps using LTE in 10×10MHz blocks. But with our “LTE 2X” we’re using 20×20MHz blocks and the numbers pretty much speak for themselves. This isn’t your grandfather’s LTE. But it is also important to point out that, while the early speed test results are mind-blowingly impressive, they were done on an unloaded trial network.
Clear Blog: Why are we able to show such faster 4G speeds than the competition?
Saw: Basically it comes down to our spectrum position, which is far bigger than that of other carriers. It allows us to use wider channels which can deliver faster connections. Think of it like the number of lanes on a freeway. We have more lanes, which means we can have a lot more traffic driving at faster speeds.
Clear Blog: Is Clearwire moving to LTE?
Saw: Today we are simply conducting trials in order to plan for the future, see what’s possible, and consider all of our options. We’re a technology agnostic company – we always have been – and we’re focused on doing what’s best for the customer. Today that’s WiMAX. Potentially in the future that could be WiMAX and LTE. The great thing about our network is that it’s built in a way that if we did add LTE at some point we could reuse our existing core infrastructure, backhaul, and spectrum.
Clear Blog: So what’s next?
Saw: We just completed our 2010 build. The last three months of this year have been huge for us as we officially turned on New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, so we’ve been pretty heads-down on building the network which now covers 71 markets and offers 4G services to more than 110 million people, making Clearwire the largest 4G network in the United States. The trials though in Phoenix are continuing and it’s really exciting, motivating to see these early results.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mike Demler, CLEAR 4G and CLEAR 4G. CLEAR 4G said: @cliqztechnology Thanks for passing the video. There is a blog post too- http://bit.ly/g6bowk ^JD [...]
first question: What position does LTE play at Clearwire compared to Wimax? What is the comparison of the two technologies?
second question: Clwr has not installed Wimax or LTE in Indianapolis, the capital of IN. While clwr appears to be having financial problems doing Indy has one overwhelming advantage, it would be extraordinarily cheap; Sprint towers are located in the correct spots there. Further, Indy is the central city of IN. It makes no sense not to move on this.
Vorizon is attempting to move in and ATT will move later in the year.
Clearwire is a technology agnostic company that is interested in doing what is best for the customer. Right now WiMAX is the best answer, and potentially in the future it could be both WiMAX and LTE.
As for Indianapolis, stay tuned to the CLEAR blog, as it will be the first place to let you know about future expansions of our 4G service.
Why would clearwire even be looking at LTE now? Didn’t you just spend millions building a WiMax network? is it true that WiMax has hand off issues?
I love that clear is staying fluid. They pushed forward over the last year, but are open enough to look at what could be.. that makes a company’s value these days. I Say unite the US in LTE (with Europe), and blow the doors off Verizon using the same technology.
It is important to Clearwire that is stays on top of technology trends so that we can offer whatever technology is best for its customers. Right now that technology is WiMAX, and in the future it may include LTE.
[...] boasts of their LTE connectivity in this video of their download and upload speeds, where multiple independent tests managed to hit 90 Mbps [...]
Are there going to be more clear cities announced in the near future? I haven’t seen any news of network expansion since San Fransisco launched.
Look forward to LTE coming to Charlotte, NC and DC area.
As for the question about Indianapolis. Last week a tower must of been turned on in downtown picking up 4g signal around central downtown.
I can’t believe that I’ve never heard of you until recently…..this is by and far the best carrier. Prepare to be championed.
I switched from DSL to Clear and I have found streaming Netflix to be better on Clear. This might be because my DSL vendor, Earthlink, never upgraded my speed beyond 1.5m, basically a T1.
Speed is really a red herring in lots of cases. If servers are slow or congested, the bandwidth plays little role in your actual experience. Secondly, if you don’t need much bandwidth (we only watch one film at a time and then usually aren’t doing much else on the net), then having more bandwidth is probably a waste. LTE competitors intend to charge more for more bandwidth, I wonder how many people with pay through the nose for more than they need because they are under the illusion that hight bandwidth is somehow “better”.
i have been CLEAR user since last year in Los Angeles area, and referred about 6 of my frieds switched to CLEAR. I cannot wait till CLEAR gets hands on LTE, and provide service. as of now, i am using Verizon 5GB plan, and paying $50 for it… but i am willing to use it more, but the data cap, is holding me off, and try to stay out of data usage… Once CLEAR goes LTE Advanced… i can guarantee that all customers will switch over to CLEAR LTE, since there are currently no one who provide unlimited usage on the 4G network. Only CLEAR.. You guys are best.