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In The Spotlight: Clearwire Wireless Internet broadband service.

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Though to be fair to all the competitors, Clearwire is new, and no one knows what the future holds for this technology. »Review of Clearwire Wireless by ksmithofwa

We've all heard the WiMax hype. Many companies and providers are dabbling in or planning to offer some type of WiMax, most notably Sprint with its planned WiMax network and service dubbed "Xohm." To accomplish this, Sprint has paired up with another name that crops up when discussing WiMax - Clearwire, who has also inked deals with satellite providers DirecTV and EchoStar to distribute their high speed wireless service.

Clearwire was created by Craig McCaw, the founder of Cellular One, which was later purchased by AT&T Wireless. Whenever Clearwire launches its service in a new area, it claims to "free customers from the confines of traditional Internet access."

So how good is Clearwire's high-speed wireless service? More importantly, can it be looked at as a model of what to expect from the highly anticipated Xohm service delivered in partnership with Sprint?

Clearwire, the world’s largest WiMAX-class service provider, launched its first market in August 2004. The company currently operates in 44 markets covering more than 400 cities and towns in 16 states including: California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. International markets include Ireland, Belgium and Spain. Clearwire also provides wireless high-speed broadband Internet services in Mexico and Denmark through its partners MVS Net and Danske Telecom.

Coverage is expanding, helped along by the deals with DirecTV, EchoStar and Sprint. You can check to see if Clearwire offers service in your area at Clearwire's website. Clearwire also sells its service through various local providers where Clearwire service is available, and through stores such as Circuit City, Radio Shack and other vendors.

{My service is} 1.5 Mbps/256 Kbps for $49.99/month plus the $5 modem lease. I just showed up to Radioshack, said I wanted Clearwire, and within 15 minutes I was on my way home. I plugged in the modem, connected my laptop to the non-Cat5 ethernet cable, and was on the internet. »Review of Clearwire Wireless by koolman2

Ordering and installation of the service is reported to be extremely easy. You may order through Clearwire's website, or it can be as simple as walking into a store, choosing and purchasing a plan, and taking your modem home. In any case, almost all reviewers report service to be up and running in one day, as soon as they plug in their modem.

The speeds offered seem to be consistent in most areas, with three speed tiers being offered: "ClearValue" - (up to) 768Kbps/256Kbps; "ClearPremium" - (up to) 1.5Mbps/256Kbps; and "ClearPremiumPlus" - (up to) 2.0Mbps/256Kbps. Also offered is the "ClearPCCard" plan at (up to) 1.5Mps/256Kbps. ClearWire notes that not all plans and features are available in all areas. A Voice/Internet bundle package is also offered.

You may sign up for a 12- or 24-month service contract. There's a $50 activation fee (which may be waived with a 24-month contract) and a $5 modem rental fee in addition to your base plan price. The base plan prices vary depending on region and contracts, according to our reviews. Clearwire is currently running a promotion where you can get your first month free and the next two months service for $14.99 with a two-year contract. It is best to check with Clearwire or your local Clearwire vendor to get the correct pricing per plan in your area.

Many reviews praise the ease of ordering and setting up service, and point to the portability of the service as a main selling point. You can take your modem or PC Card with you and get on the Internet anywhere there is Clearwire service. Clearwire received the FCC's approval for the the first WiMAX-class laptop card in May '07.

The Clearwire laptop card is part of Motorola’s wi4 Expedience solutions. The wireless access modem is a true non-line-of-sight device, requiring only a simple driver to be added to the customer’s computer. The product fits into a standard Type II laptop card slot on portable computing devices and is compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista and XP operating systems.

While ease of purchase and set-up -- and especially the portability -- are excellent and convenient features of the service, the speeds and reception range from very clear and steady for some to very erratic for others, depending on weather, landscape features and number of users online.

Some reviews report dropped signals and speeds when spring arrives and trees regain their foliage. Others report loss of signal and speed during inclement weather. A number of reviews report very good reception and speeds when first activating their service -- only to have the signal and speeds steadily decline over a period of time (see these reviews):

A frequent complaint among reviewers is the need to constantly adjust the modem location to receive optimal signal. Some reviews report on helpful experiences with Clearwire's tech support in this regard -- finding the modem "sweet spot" at the customers location. Modem placement doesn't always fix problems, however.

User reviews are mixed on connection performance. Some members report the service is best for simple browsing and e-mail -- while gaming, watching movies or even Flash movies are out of the question. Others report no problems with full Internet usage or only minor latency problems and, in some cases, faster-than-advertised speeds. Take, for example, comments made by two customers in the same market in this review:

The most common reviewer complaints focus on Clearwire's customer service (or lack thereof), early termination fees and assorted billing trickery. Many reviews warn to read the Clearwire ToS carefully to be aware of the company's automatic renewal policy and cancellation procedures.

Instead of quoting separate examples, perhaps it's best to hear from the horses mouth -- in this case, a review left by a former Clearwire employee worth quoting in full:

There has been talk of the company blocking VoIP ports so that customers will be forced to use Clearwire's own VoIP service, and at one point, the company was scolded by the FCC for blocking Vonage traffic. Clearwire's blockades and traffic shaping have definitely not gone unnoticed by customers.

I decided to print the contract. All 19 pages of it. Apparently they don't even expect you to read the dumb thing. But I did. And I probably should have opted for the setup fee in light of the $180 headache I'm sure you're all familiar with. »Review of Clearwire Wireless by HappyTech

Though there are several mentions of reviewers going to the BBB, it does appear that Clearwire pays attention to this site. An interesting read is member hwsgeo 's saga, found here. In this case, Clearwire became directly involved as a result of postings by our users, convincing one user to stick with the service:

Of course, it is not unusual for many customers of all different services to have complaints about customer service. However, from the number of reviews, even some positive ones, containing complaints about Clearwire's handling of billing and contracts, it seems this is a main trouble spot that the company is in dire need of straightening out.

By now, you've probably heard of the partnership between Sprint and Clearwire to speed up deployment of WiMax. Sprint Nextel will build out 70% of the initial 100 million potential customers to be covered, while Clearwire builds out 30%. For Clearwire, the announcement of the Sprint Nextel deal has catapulted it from an untried, small competitor into one that can play in the ranks of the top four wireless operators.

However, with Clearwire's customer service and reliability problems, one has to wonder how Clearwire would handle such a massive increase in coverage. If the operator struggles, it could turn into a real nightmare for both Clearwire and customers alike. The potential in this deal for Clearwire is amazing, and some analysts think Sprint's Xohm unit and Clearwire could merge. Time will tell if they can capitalize on the opportunity.

Interestingly enough, it appears Clearwire is not the only one in this partnership to have dubious contract practices. It turns out that the Attorney General for the state of Minnesota has recently filed a lawsuit accusing Sprint of extending customers' contracts without their informed consent.

According to Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, "The company has used hidden trip wires to trap unwary consumers into lengthy contracts simply because they made small changes in their plan." Some Sprint customers who accepted a "courtesy discount" were unwittingly agreeing to stay with the company longer, according to court papers. Others had contracts extended when they added more minutes to their plans, even though they received assurances the change wouldn't affect their contracts' length.

So how does Clearwire's service measure up? At first glance, the service may seem like a bad choice with the hit or miss reliability issues. However, there really isn't a clear answer because there are several variables that come into play. While there are many complaints about such issues, there are many who do receive good, reliable service and are happy with Clearwire's efforts.

One thing to think about is the fact that this is a relatively new service and technology. Other companies, not only Clearwire, are still feeling their way through the issues that come with such new technologies. Better reliability and deployment will (or should) come with more experience and maturity. Areas that Clearwire has been servicing for a while show definite improvements from when it was first deployed.

The portability of the service, especially now that Clearwire has released the card for laptops, is a nice convenience that will almost certainly help the service become more appealing to more people. Where Clearwire is running properly, the service is a nice alternative to incumbent offerings and a godsend in rural areas.

However, the dubious selling practices, auto pay and renewal practice, and the difficulty in getting out of a contract is one area that Clearwire clearly needs to improve in a dramatic fashion. Even positive reviews from members report horrible experiences with billing and ridiculous runarounds with customer service. Even if the Internet service aspect of Clearwire's service continues to mature and improve, such treatment of customers by Clearwire's customer service will surely only serve to drive potential consumers away.

For example, I live in a broadband-poor area myself, and would probably have jumped at the chance to try out Clearwire's service despite the chance of spotty service -- until I read all the problems experienced by customers in regards to contract problems and customer service run-arounds. The stories told in the reviews I have read by members of Broadbandreports.com would definitely make me think twice -- desperate as I am for faster, cheaper high speed Internet.

Stay away until WiMax matures... it's too early to rely on this, especially in a new market. »Review of Clearwire Wireless by rgrunch

According to reviews, customer satisfaction is almost split down the middle. Given Clearwire's spotty service, poor customer service and dubious billing practices, I might have given Clearwire's service 2.5 stars or less. Customer satisfaction is the lifeblood of any business. But considering the fact that Clearwire is working with newer technology and still working out the kinks, plus the potential of the Sprint partnership, I would give Clearwire a tentative 3 out of 5 stars.

Written by: Revcb

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