Good Day, BWIA (GDBWIA) is a light compendium of news, items of interest, irreverent commentary, and occasional light analysis relating to Broadband Wireless Internet Access (including WiMAX, public access Wi-Fi, etc.).
And we say goodbye to my least favorite month in the calendar.
Things That Get Me Excited About BWIA Today? Excited... that's not the right word... stunned gets closer. I've been outspoken about Sprint Nextel's problems as context for it to be near-impossible that Sprint Nextel could widely deploy it's Xohm Mobile WiMAX service in its 2.5 GHz spectrum in parallel with its existing CDMA wireless telephony network on 1.9 GHz (leaving only the terms and conditions of the surrender of their 2.5 GHz spectrum to Clearwire). But for Sprint Nextel (I guess I'll start just calling them Sprint now that they've essentially written off the value of acquiring Nextel) to declare a US $29.5B loss yesterday?!?!?! That simply strains credulity. Sprint lost more money than the entire country of Oman's 2007 GDP (link - right column, CIA Factbook)!!!
Then there's Sprint's "we'll make up the losses in volume" $99/month "everything" plan. You can read the PR spinmeistering, but (yesterday) try going to Sprint's web site and looking up the actual particulars of the plan as if you might possibly become a new customer, and you find... nothing about the new plan. Today, there's an ad, and I still can't really parse out the particulars. Do you get a phone that bridges the Sprint CDMA voice, 1xEV-DO Internet access, and Nextel voice networks? And get access to everything, including (falsetto trembling voice...) exclusive Sprint video? Yawn. Another thing leaped out at me - Sprint's "Everything" offer expires at the end of May. Double Yawn - this is business as usual in the wireless telephony industry, and this kind of jerking around of the customers with teaser offers that expire will just drive customers to true flat-rate offers of Internet and voice. Obligatory BWIA - that this incredible declared loss for Sprint seals the fate of Xohm... how could they conceivably build out a Mobile WiMAX nework (that would have any scale) when Sprint is scrambling to "keep going" by using a US $2.5B loan?
Clearwire Modem Weather Report - Hollywood Hill, Woodinville, Washington - Solid 4 Bars - system is working very well. It's been dry and clear the last week, so the Clearwire modem OFDM and 2.5 GHz RF has an easy job of maintaining reliable Broadband Internet Access. (I write about my experiences as a Clearwire user, and about Clearwire the company and as a bellwether for the overall Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX industry in the Independent Clearwire Blog.)
It's a really slow week for BWIA News. Tim Sanders, one of the very few I consider an esteemed colleague in offering clueful writing about BWIA / WiMAX, agrees that it's a slow week. So, with a forum to fill on WiMAX.com, Sanders offers a thoughtful essay after completing a long study and a resulting report. Sanders writes that he sees the same thing I do, that Broadband Wireless Internet Access isn't a homogeneous industry, but rather lots of competitors - some large, some small, seeking to provide Broadband Internet Access via wireless. Some are using proprietary technology, others are using "standards" (pick one - lots of choices).
(Advertisement) If you want to know about all of what I write, check out the new Steve Stroh Articles blog at www.stevestroharticles.com. It features three-way convenience - Bookmark it or browse it when-I-remember-to-check, there's an RSS feed (three of them, actually, depending on your choice of RSS technology), and if you'd rather be notified of updates via email, see the email signup via FeedBlitz halfway down the left column.
Other Good BWIA Writing - Tom Evslin, one of my "must reads" (he's in the high-priority queue of my RSS reader) recently wrote a pair of posts about WiMAX and Wi-Fi - Why WiMAX and WiMAX vs WiFi. Evslin is one of the rare ones that writes about BWIA only occasionally, but generally gets it right. (Generally... my major quibble with the former is that he falls into Clearwire's trap of posturing that what they've deployed to date is [Mobile] WiMAX. It isn't - Clearwire's current network is based on proprietary technology, and thus non-standard, by Nextnet Wireless [now owned by Motorola] Expedience.) Evslin is a techie from way back and has some impressive coups in his resume, and best of all, he's one of those few that's done it in tech, is continuing to do it now mostly because it's still fun, and devotes considerable time (and talent) to writing about tech with his context... and thus educating the rest of us.
By Steve Stroh
Fine Print / Boilerplate / Acknowledgements / Credits / FAQs
(Last updated 2008-02-25)
This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).
This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA). The first half, yesterday, was via Sprint Mobile Broadband service using a Sierra Wireless 595U USB modem - 1xEV-DO Rev. A., and finished via Clearwire service using a NextNet Wireless / Motorola Expedience Residential Service Unit (RSU).
I'm trying to find the price tag for a new Motorola Expedience NextNet RSU-2510-RV BROADBAND Wireless Acess Modem. I spent one hour one the web, but no luck. Could anyone email me the price and a link to where to buy it online ?
Thanks
Posted by: David Loiselle | April 29, 2008 at 07:09