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Clearwire To Scrap With Texas WiMax Operator Xanadoo
As smaller Texas markets become new wireless battleground...

Clearwire announced they're launching their Clear Mobile WiMax service in ten additional markets, as the company tries to keep its promise of deploying Clear to 80 markets over the next eighteen months. The majority of these September 1 launches are in smaller Texas towns, and Information Week notes that Abeline, Lubbock, and Wichita Falls already have WiMax service from a company named Xanadoo. Xanadoo first popped up on our radar back in 2006 when they began offering $14.95 for 128kbps pre-cert fixed WiMax service, and $60 for 1.5Mbps.

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We plugged the address of a local Lubbock restaurant into their certification system and found that while prices have come down slightly, their speeds still aren't particularly impressive -- topping out at just 1.5Mbps downstream for $39.95 a month. By contrast, Clearwire's Mobile WiMax service is 4Mbps/1Mbps on average, with two tiers: $35 (2GB cap) and $45 (unlimited).

According to their website, Xanadoo is a licensee of 700 MHz spectrum covering "almost 156 million people in major markets," including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Miami, Tampa, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. Xanadoo says they were already competing with Clearwire's less popular fixed WiMax service, and as of last year offered broadband to 14,000 subscribers.

Xanadoo tries to stick to a niche by focusing on smaller markets with population bases ranging from 100,000 and 1 million, markets Clearwire now intends to take specific aim at. Just four reviews exist for the smaller company in our review index.
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Bob61571
join:2008-08-08
Washington, IL

Bob61571

Member

Xanadoo also in Illinois and Oklahoma

Xanadoo in Springfield and Decatur, Illinois. Also, Lawton, Oklahoma.

per this:
»www.xanadoo.com/xanadoo_ ··· ers.html
jameswade
join:2001-12-09
Hot Springs, NC

jameswade

Member

There would be no competition and a captive audience here!

We're close to Asheville, NC. There's probably on average one house per square mile in our area, but there are a lot of square miles that could be reached with one good mountaintop site. 800 Mhz cell service bounces and diffracts around these mountains pretty well, I'd expect 700 Mhz to do even better.

So many places have three or four alternatives. Well we just recently got EVDO via US Cellular, but with the 5 Gbyte cap it sorta doesn't count.

But really! No competition! Wouldn't that kinda make up for the slightly lower (maybe) population density?

anjorusso
@speakeasy.net

anjorusso

Anon

$15 per month for 128K

not a bad price...but dslreports is wrong as usual.....new york is not even on the roadmap for xanadoo...hahaha
good going dslreports...
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: $15 per month for 128K

it says They have LICENSE does NOT say they cover!
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: $15 per month for 128K

said by hottboiinnc4:

it says They have LICENSE does NOT say they cover!
Free market=warehouse spectrum, never use it, never build it out, thank you for doing business with the FCC, your company's satisfaction is our top concern
Samsonian
join:2007-06-15

Samsonian

Member

Re: $15 per month for 128K

said by patcat88:

said by hottboiinnc4:

it says They have LICENSE does NOT say they cover!
Free market=warehouse spectrum, never use it, never build it out, thank you for doing business with the FCC, your company's satisfaction is our top concern
Exactly.

There are few conditions, if any, on spectrum licenses.

But, the bigger problem is the FCC's auction system itself. Such a system will almost always be biased in favor of the incumbents. As they are the only ones who can afford the high prices, and can justify spending that much on it, as any new entrant has no customer base.

The FCC will defend this saying, "We're acting in the best in the best interest of the taxpayer." And they do bring in a lot of revenue for the government, almost $20 billion for the 700 MHz auction alone.

Revenue generation is only one of the FCC's prerogatives, it's hardly the most important. One would think that having a competitive wireless industry, that offered affordable and ubiquitous service, would be one the FCC's highest priority.

It's not. At least not in its decision making anyway.

I'm not saying I necessarily have a better solution, but it's clear to everyone, that business as usual isn't working.
Samsonian

Samsonian

Member

Re: $15 per month for 128K

I was doing some thinking, on what would be a better system than a spectrum auction.

Instead of auctioning, the FCC could issue a Request for Proposals (RFPs) for new spectrum becoming available.

Companies/Consortiums would bid their proposal for use of that spectrum. They would detail what they would use it for (broadband most likely), build out, financing secured, experience, etc.

The FCC would then select the winners based on the best proposals, and could take other things into account such whether bidder is a new entrant, a big incumbent, or somewhere in between.

There's certainly more that can go wrong here, compared to an auction system. But, as long the metrics are clearly defined (e.g. build-out, financing, etc.), picking winners are based purely on what's best for the market (the customers, ordinary people and businesses), and that the companies building out are held to the standards that they themselves proposed (including re-possessing the spectrum licenses if need be).

Anyone have thoughts on this idea?
YellowDart
join:2003-07-09
world

YellowDart

Member

Peagasus

This is the last remaining part of the old Pesasus Satellite TV company. (A reseller of DirecTV service).

They were a horribly run operation that bet that they could buy affiliates in the hope that they would eventually be bought out by DirecTV. They lost that battle badly and this broadband service is all that remains.

A lot of parallels can be drawn with iPCS & Sprint and the Pegasus & DirecTV battle.

In the end it is all about spectrum.

daroy99
@ameritech.net

daroy99

Anon

10GB

straight from the Xanadoo website....10GB cap..network improvement surchage:

Speeds vary and are not guaranteed. Features, prices, plans and specifications are subject to change without notice. Taxes not included. All plans subject to a 10 GB monthly usage limitation. All plans subject to an additional $1.68 network improvement surcharge. Visa® Prepaid Card available only to credit qualified customers and requires a service commitment. Failure to complete service commitment may result in subscriber being charged a fee of up to $200.00. Service subject to the Xanadoo wireless high-speed internet Terms of Service. Xanadoo is a registered service mark of Xanadoo, LLC.
©Copyright 2009 Xanadoo®. All Rights Reserved.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: 10GB

Don't forget they're using the OLD equipment that Clearwire used to make/own!

daroy99
@ameritech.net

daroy99

Anon

Re: 10GB

i wonder who they are buying bandwith from. at&t is the only one that runs fiber to west Texas, which is why sprint still doesn't have EVDO in a city of 250,000+

suddenlink also used to buy bandwith from at&t, i'm not sure if they still do. but i know that at&t is the only one with fat pipes running along I-20 towards the panhandle
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: 10GB

Sprint offers service there. It's just not on the powersource network. It also may be toooo rural for sprint to even consider it as an investment anymore.

tk421clon3
@xanadoo.com

tk421clon3 to hottboiinnc4

Anon

to hottboiinnc4
that's false...clearwire uses motorolla gear, and xanadoo uses gear made by cisco systems.
tbone2006
join:2006-07-22
Abilene, TX

tbone2006

Member

So right Xanadoo sucks

When crapadoo first came to Abilene I tried it, and it sucked. It is much worse than Clearwire. Xanadoo's reception in Abilene was really bad, and they wanted too much money for the speed. Although ATT dsl is not perfect it is still better than Xanadoo or Clearwire.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

Clear has uncapped fixed tiers...

Remember also that Clear's mobile tiers aren't all they offer. They also have fixed (normal-sized-modem) service that runs between $20 and $40 per month, with the $40 package appearing to provide uncapped download speeds and 1 Mbps uploads. Uncapped as in peaks over 10 Mbps, maybe making it to 12 Mbps sometimes. Which blows everything but cable out of the water in these areas.

Even cable won't give you 1 Mbps upload in most of these areas unless you get a business plan (good ol' Suddenlink) and where they do have a residential 1 Mbps upload plan, it''s the highest tier available, 20/1 DOCSIS 3 for who-knows-how-much.

daroy99
@ameritech.net

daroy99

Anon

Re: Clear has uncapped fixed tiers...

suddenstink's 20/1 tier is $86 in Lubbock last time I called, 10/768 is ~$70, 8/512 is $55, and 1/256 is $27

i'd look at wimax if it had as good of latency as cable/dsl
SuperWISP
join:2007-04-17
Laramie, WY

SuperWISP

Member

Clearwire may give them a run for their money...

...just before it falls apart due to a lack of capital and high operating and equipment costs.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Clearwire may give them a run for their money...

ClearWire will take over them.

Xandoo runs on pre-cert WiMax which was designed for and sold BY Clearwire. LMAO! Later the equipment company was sold to MOT.
adolobe8
join:2002-07-23
Jacksonville, NC

adolobe8

Member

Re: Clearwire may give them a run for their money...

You are so sadly mistaken. The hardware they use was developed by Navini Networks. Who was recently sold to Cisco. I know because I toured a few of the Xanadoo cell sites when i was in negotiations with a Navini Sales Rep to deploy HSI to a rural community in easter NC.

Clearwire used MOTO equipment.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

1 edit

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Clearwire may give them a run for their money...

Okay so I had the companies wrong. Clearwire also used the same modems at one time back when they started. but it was only a short time as I remember posts on other sites about them.

And Clearwire JUST SOLD the company that made their Pre-WiMax TO MOT!

MOT Never owned the company until recently.

But either way, Xandoo's equipment is out dated
chsteiger
Premium Member
join:2003-10-03
Pasadena, TX

chsteiger

Premium Member

Don't large cities ususaly get this stuff first?

Why do these small markets have 2 providors when a city like Houston (4th largerst city in the US) has none? Makes no since to me other then in these small markets might be able to be coverd with 3 or so towers....
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Don't large cities ususaly get this stuff first?

because they can :-D