FreedomPop Planning Fixed Wireless Offering → Re: No Coverage

Ditto on the small coverage area problem.

Wouldn't it make more sense for them, to use a WalMart philosophy on this? Start in the rural areas where the need for speed is biggest. THEN, build into the big metros.

They offered me a beta for this the other day, but nothing within 100 miles of me...Can't they check zip codes before beta invitations?

Since FreedomPop is an MVNO and they use Clear, are we suggesting Clear should go with a rural strategy first?

Also, I think it depends on what "rural" means. Before Wal-Mart grew gigantic, they put stores in areas with a "trade territory" of 50,000 or more. I don't classify this as a "BFE" rural area. Many small towns of this size probably have potentially more-than-competitive wired options (DSL and cable). While Clear's speeds are DSL-competitive, latency is an issue for gamers. Even if the local cable company is still using older DOCSIS (provided they aren't using a dialup return!), Clear may not be competitive.

This leaves disgruntled cable and DSL users or users with no other options. In Missouri, many of these towns already have a fixed wireless option or two and Clear would also have to compete with them.

I don't see much profit with this strategy unless they go LTE and can match cable's slower packages for a cheaper price. They would then offer a viable competitive option to cable and potentially gain DSL defections.