The Official CLEAR Blog

Our 4G Network Expands Again

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 9:03pm

The CLEAR 4G network keeps on spreading, this time making its way into Boston, Daytona Beach, and Providence, RI. These cities are home to over 3.2 million people who now have access to our 4G service.

“We are proud to provide New Englanders in Boston with cheaper, faster mobile broadband,” said
Matthew Drinkhahn, general manager for CLEAR Boston. “Our affordable rate plans with no limits on the
amount of data customers use, as well as no penalties or hidden fees, allow our customers to use the
web as much as they want wherever they go. No other wireless carrier can compete with the strength
and speed of our network in Boston.”

Those curious about whether or not they are covered by this expansion should head over to our coverage maps or download the new Got CLEAR? app for iPhones and Android-based phones. The maps are very detailed and allow you can see exactly where there is 4G coverage and where there isn’t.

If you live in a major city we don’t cover (We are talking to you residents of Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Denver, Cleveland…) don’t worry, we will be there by the end of the year

Meet the Rover Puck

Monday, August 30, 2010 at 9:41am

Today on the CLEAR blog we’re excited to help spread the word about Rover, the nation’s first pay-as-you-go wireless 4G broadband service. After you take a quick look around the Rover website, you will see that this brand speaks to the type of consumer who has the desire for fast, portable, uncapped internet access that doesn’t require a lengthy contract and doesn’t send you a bill at the end of each month.

Rover includes two new devices – the Rover Puck and the Rover stick. The Rover Puck ($149.99 +tax) is a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that connects up to eight devices to 4G internet. The Rover Stick ($99.99 +tax) is a 4G USB modem what works with just about any Mac or PC. Both devices are available online in any Clearwire market and in select retail stores in Houston and St. Louis. Rover devices run on CLEAR’s 4G network, so if you live in a CLEAR coverage area you can rock Rover throughout your city.

Service plans are simple with Rover – it’s just $5 a day, $20 a week, or $50 a month for unlimited data.

Depending on the retail channel, customers will be able to purchase a Rover Re-Up PIN code or physical Rover Re-Up card from the Rover website or retail outlets that carry Rover products. Credit cards are not required to activate service, which will bring mobile broadband internet to a whole new audience.

Want to learn more? Stay on top of Rover by following it on Facebook and Facebook’s good friend, Twitter.

New Mobile Coverage Map Application

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 10:21am

You know the drill: you set up your laptop, pull out your USB antenna, and try to connect to the network, only to find that no service is available in your area. So much for the “all over” network, right?

For CLEAR customers, that frustration is now a thing of the past. Introducing the new Got CLEAR? Mobile Map application.

The Got CLEAR? Map app lets customers know – before they pull out their laptop – whether Clear coverage is available at their current location. Better still, the information is just a click away via an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch (OS 3.0 or greater) or Android phone.

You see, unlike Verizon or AT&T, CLEAR is willing to share with our customers exactly where our service is and isn’t available. While this information is available via our coverage maps on clear.com, with the new Got CLEAR? Map app, you can find out, on-the-fly, the type of coverage you can expect, wherever you may be. Those other providers’ maps just don’t offer that level of detail.

Here’s how it works: Using Google Maps, the “Got CLEAR?” Map app automatically finds where you are, and tells you whether or not you can use CLEAR in your current location. The map will also tell you the type of coverage you have — both CLEAR coverage and our Best CLEAR coverage – indoors or outside.

With the Got CLEAR? Map app you can:

Search addresses where you might want to use CLEAR so you know ahead of time whether or not coverage is available;
Create a coverage map using the tracking function from your current location to your destination to show where you have coverage along the way; and
Purchase CLEAR service, so you can get access to access to the blazing fast CLEAR 4G network, right away.

Download the Apple version of the Got CLEAR? Map app here (or via iTunes)
Download the Android version of the Got CLEAR? Map app from your Android phone – go to the Android marketplace and search for CLEAR

Clearwire Employees Go Back to School

Friday, August 20, 2010 at 7:43am

We can’t believe that August is almost over. For some this means football season is about to kick-off, and for others that ski season is around the corner. If you are a kid you have one thing on your mind: summer vacation is over and school is about to start back up.

When students return to Asa Mercer Middle School in Seattle’s Beacon Hill Neighborhood things might look a little bit different than it did on that memorable day last Spring when they embarked on their Summer break. That is because yesterday over 100 Clearwire employees took some time away from the office to help revitalize the school grounds. Murals were painted, flowers were planted, and benches were constructed.

Each of Asa Mercer Middle School’s 850 students will also receive a new backpack on the first day of school. These backpacks and other school supplies were donated through a supply drive for which Clearwire employees raised over $5,000. 34 Lenovo laptops were also given to the school that will help fill the space in the school’s new mobile computer lab.

“Students will be wowed when they learn that they can take a laptop from the library to the classroom,” said Principal Andhra Lutz.

Clearwire wishes to thank all of the employees who contributed to today’s event. You guys and gals rock!

This event is part of Clearwire’s Connecting With Communities program which aims to improve communities across the US. If you have any questions about the program please contact Michael Nank at michael.nank[at]clearwire.com. Photos from the event can also be found on our Facebook page and there is also a video slideshow on YouTube.

A Ray of Hope for the Sunshine State

Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 1:22pm

Florida has been one of the hardest hit states when it comes to foreclosures and job losses. And with the recent oil spill in the Gulf, it’s fair to say that it hasn’t been an easy year for Floridians and their businesses.

So what better time than now to bring a small ray of hope to the Sunshine state.

As the head of our customer care center in Milton, I can tell you that we are truly excited to be able to expand our CLEAR operations by adding more jobs to the local community. And it’s a big deal as this expansion makes CLEAR the largest single private employer in Santa Rosa County.

As you likely know, we are building the first 4G wireless network in the nation. The expansion of our customer care center will allow us to support the demands of our growing customer base in this high-growth emerging market.

The addition of new jobs has even caught the attention of Florida Governor Charlie Crist who tells us that this a major economic development opportunity in Santa Rosa County and of critical importance to the state’s economy. Pretty cool, huh?

Not only are we building our base in Milton, but we remain committed to helping our local communities. The most recent project we completed, through CLEAR’s Connecting with Communities program, involved the revitalization of Bagdad Elementary School. More than 100 CLEAR employees volunteered to reface the façade of the school building, add new landscaping at the entrance and upgrade the computer classroom.

We look forward to bringing new employees on board in the coming months who have a passion for customer service and are hungry to make a difference.

Thanks-
Eric Petrosevich

Introducing the iSpot!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 11:08pm

Apple has an impressive line-up of mobile products, but until now users have had to seek out Wi-Fi hotspots to take full advantage of them. Sure the iPad has a Netflix app, but waiting for the stream to buffer over a 3G network isn’t the most ideal experience. Enter, the iSpot.

The iSpot is a 4G personal hotspot with dedicated support for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. Its signal reaches up to 150 feet away and can last for up to four hours on a single charge. Thanks to our unlimited data plans, users can now stream movies on Netflix on their iPad, watch sporting events online, listen to music with Pandora on their iPod touch, and Facetime with friends and family members on the new iPhone 4 for as long as they want.

“With the iSpot, Apple customers don’t have to sort through confusing service plans with overage fees, nor do they have to worry about how much data they’re using,” said Thomas Enraght-Moony, senior vice president of marketing at Clearwire. “Instead, with CLEAR, customers can run all of their Apple mobile devices at true broadband speeds for a single, simple monthly fee.”

Service plans for the device are cheap, starting at $25 a month for unlimited data. We also have for a limited time an introductory sale offering significant savings in the iSpot and our other CLEAR Spot devices we released in June. Check out our website for the full scoop on these offers.

Update: There has been some confusion out on the interwebs about what devices the iSpot can work with. To clarify, people who purchase the $25/mo plan with their iSpot will be able to provide a 4G connection for up to any 8 mobile Apple products only (iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone).

CLEAR 4G Comes to 5 New Cities

Sunday, August 1, 2010 at 9:05pm

We are at it again, adding 5 new cities to our national 4G coverage area. Residents in Grand Rapids, Wilmington, Stockton, Modesto, and Jacksonville are the latest people to join our expanding network. There are almost 2 million people in these cities who will now have access to the internet at 4G speeds.

If you are new to 4G let us give a quick explanation. The CLEAR 4G experience is similar to Wi-Fi but without the short-range limitations. CLEAR uses wireless 4G technology that differs from Wi-Fi because it provides service areas measured in miles, not feet. CLEAR also offers average mobile download speeds of 3 to 6 mbps. Outside the CLEAR 4G service area, dual-mode 4G/3G modems keep users continually connected by leveraging Sprint’s 3G data network. With an activated 4G device like the CLEAR Spot 4G+, you could surf the internet on your laptop and stream Netflix on your iPad without the need to pay for separate subscription fees. If a friend shows up he or she can also get online via your CLEAR Spot 4G+ if you are in the sharing mood.

Check out our coverage map to see if 4G is available on your block or click on your city to see what offers are available for new customers: Jacksonville, Modesto, Stockton, Grand Rapids, Wilmington

CLEAR 4G to Power Best Buy Connect

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 8:44am

Today we are announcing a strategic relationship with Best Buy that will bring CLEAR 4G to Best Buy customers in our expanding coverage areas. Starting in 2011, Best Buy will begin offering 4G service through their Best Buy Connect brand which will run on our 4G network. According to Jed Stillman, VP of Best Buy Connect, “Our strategic wholesale agreement with Clearwire will enable Best Buy Connect to leverage the Clearwire 4G network’s speed and bandwidth to deliver compelling new mobile broadband experiences for our customers.”

The relationship fits Clearwire’s “network of networks” business model. Teresa Elder, president of strategic partnerships and wholesale at Clearwire says, “Not only is this one of the first major wholesale agreements beyond our group of strategic investors, but it also demonstrates the interest in our network from companies outside of traditional service providers. We look forward to supporting Best Buy in the months and years ahead.”

Right now our 4G network blankets 44 cities and 50 million people. Large market launches like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York that will happen by year’s end will push the total number of people covered past 120 million!

Internet TV & Video

Monday, July 19, 2010 at 1:09pm

“Trying to max out @Clear Spot 4G wifi hot spot. Streaming live TV via Slingplayer to iphone, Netflix movie to iPad, ABC TV show to Macbook.” – @Shotgun15e on Twitter

Is this Tweet forecasting the future of televison? Will mobile internet access allow us to stream any movie or TV episode whenever we want, wherever we are, on any device, large or small? I hope so!

CLEAR now provides 4G internet service in 44 cities and a whole bunch of devices to allow you to connect to the network. In each of these cities there are several online services where people can watch TV and movies on demand, and the amount of video available for download has been growing- already outselling disc purchases! Avoid waiting for your favorite TV show or film to come on and catch up with your favorite episodes on-the-go using CLEAR 4G to take advantage of services like these:

Netflix – Stream as many movies as you want for a monthly subscription fee. Their lineup includes classics, some new releases, and full TV episodes. They have a greater selection in their rent-by-mail option, but who wants to wait on the postman when there is some much content readily available.

iTunes – You can rent or buy HD movies, download the latest TV shows, and pay-per-episode or opt for a season pass to just one TV show. On the way: $30/month subscription service – but who knows to what kind of entertainment it will give access?

Hulu (Plus) – Hulu, glorious Hulu, is free. You can stream most major TV shows there throughout the current season for a limited time, with full movies and popular older shows, too. Last month they announced HuluPlus, a $10/month subscription service which will apparently give access to more shows, will work on more devices, and be in High-Def. It’s still just in a preview mode, but I’m excited to try it out at that price.

GoogleTV – What is brewing here? It’s not available yet, but supposedly you’ll be able to stream content on your TV and be able to search for any show you want, whenever you want it. Good thing CLEAR 4G allows unlimited data…

There are myriad options for streaming TV and movies that are available on the web. Which ones do you prefer?

Coverage Maps

Monday, July 12, 2010 at 12:47pm

Earlier this year, we updated our coverage maps with glowing reviews. Unlike other carriers, it gave levels of better and best coverage, detailed to city blocks on a street level. For July, our maps have been revamped again to accommodate our rapidly growing coverage, and to answer some common customer questions:

Will CLEAR be available soon in my city?

Cities that will be covered within 3 months are shown with black CLEAR logo dots.

CLEAR is available in my community. Will you be expanding in my area to reach my home soon?

Type in your city or zipcode into the toolbar. Areas in grey are marked in existing markets where coverage is anticipated.

Where are the best places to use my on-the-go 4G internet?

Consider dark green areas first. Light green areas will also have coverage, but less consistent than the darker green. We highly recommend that you apply at your job for relocation to Honolulu so you can experience using 4G while cruising the Pacific Ocean.

If there is no 4G in some places I want to travel, where can I view a coverage map of the 3G network?

Simply switch the radio button from “4G Coverage” to “3G Coverage”. 3G coverage will appear in a different shade of green over the same area you had focused in previously.

These maps can be accessed at http://www.clear.com/coverage. If you have any other questions, this is a great place to ask!

J

The Clear Blog