Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Clearwire Passes Initial WiMAX Field Tests

Broadband Internet service provider Clearwire Corp., Craig McCaw's wireless venture, has successfully completed the first phase of its mobile WiMAX field trials, the company revealed Monday. The testing, which covers Clearwire's spectrum in the 2.5GHz frequency band, is being staged in the Portland, Oregon, suburb of Hillsboro, and utilizes infrastructure equipment based on the IEEE 802.16e standard. Technology industry heavyweights Intel Corp. and Motorola Inc. are also participating. Clearwire said the initial field trials satisfied the WiMAX Forum's coverage, capacity and speed guidelines. WiMAX is a set of standards for providing high-speed broadband connectivity. Clearwire is a Kirkland, Washington-based firm that is backed by Intel and Motorola, and is focused on creating a new WiMax-based Internet service provider.