My OperaClear launches WiMax Internet service in D.C.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 5:22:24 AM
Much more than two years after its originally scheduled debut, high-speed WiMax wireless Internet entry has finally come to the Washington region. This new "Clear" service, from Kirkland, Wash.-based Clearwire, offers speeds roughly competitive with most digital-subscriber-line and some cable connections. Home plans price $30 for download speeds of 1.5 million bits per second (Mbps) and .5 Mbps uploads, or $40 for "up to 6" Mbps downloads (a frequently-asked-questions page clarifies that download speeds ought to average from 3 to 6 Mbps) and 1 Mbps uploads. Voice-over-Internet-Protocol phone support adds $15 or $20, depending on the house plan.
A $40 mobile plan provides the exact same 6/1 Mbps speed and ; a $15 add-on brings the fallback choice of slower 3G wireless entry. but doesn't permit Neither enables adding Internet-calling support. You'll need to bring your own TV service with any Clear plan.
Desktop modems price $84.99 or rent for $4.99 a month, although laptop USB models start at $69.99. Some new laptops consist of WiMax reception built-in.
But you've to connect from a WiMax service area first. Clear's coverage map shows nearly no coverage outside the Beltway and large gaps inside it, including big swaths of Fairfax and Prince George's counties; even later expansion plans will leave most of the farther suburbs offline.
Even Clear's limited reach these days, nevertheless, spans hundreds of thousands of potential clients who, thanks to Verizon halting its expansion of Fios service into new jurisdictions, can only choose between Verizon's DSL and cable-modem service from the local monopoly (usually Comcast or Cox, though RCN provides competitive services in a few areas).
That makes Clear's debut a potentially significant change--if it works as advertised. That's what I hope to find out within the coming weeks. You are able to assist with that: If you've used Clear's service elsewhere, how has that worked for you? Would you think about it an acceptable substitute for other forms of land-based broadband?
The Washington Post
A $40 mobile plan provides the exact same 6/1 Mbps speed and ; a $15 add-on brings the fallback choice of slower 3G wireless entry. but doesn't permit Neither enables adding Internet-calling support. You'll need to bring your own TV service with any Clear plan.
Desktop modems price $84.99 or rent for $4.99 a month, although laptop USB models start at $69.99. Some new laptops consist of WiMax reception built-in.
But you've to connect from a WiMax service area first. Clear's coverage map shows nearly no coverage outside the Beltway and large gaps inside it, including big swaths of Fairfax and Prince George's counties; even later expansion plans will leave most of the farther suburbs offline.
Even Clear's limited reach these days, nevertheless, spans hundreds of thousands of potential clients who, thanks to Verizon halting its expansion of Fios service into new jurisdictions, can only choose between Verizon's DSL and cable-modem service from the local monopoly (usually Comcast or Cox, though RCN provides competitive services in a few areas).
That makes Clear's debut a potentially significant change--if it works as advertised. That's what I hope to find out within the coming weeks. You are able to assist with that: If you've used Clear's service elsewhere, how has that worked for you? Would you think about it an acceptable substitute for other forms of land-based broadband?
The Washington Post
