Clearwire pushes past 100M covered pops with network expansion

Clearwire Corp. (CLWR) moved passed the 100 million covered potential customer mark today with the launch of its WiMAX network and “Clear”-branded service in a handful of new markets. The carrier said its network and service is now commercially operational in Los Angeles; Miami; Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.
In addition to the new launches, Clearwire said it will launch its Clear service in the San Francisco Bay Area on Dec. 28.
Following the announcement, Clearwire’s majority owner Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) also said it has begun offering its “4G”-branded WiMAX service in the same markets, as well as in the Washington, D.C., area. Clearwire launched service in the nation’s capital June 1.
The move past 100 million pops is significant for Clearwire as the company has said it planned to cover 120 million pops by the end of the year with its WiMAX network. In addition to the San Francisco area launch, Clearwire is expected to launch its network in other markets by the end of the year, though not necessarily launch its Clear service in those markets.
That disconnect has been at the heart of tension between Clearwire and Sprint Nextel, with Clearwire pushing aggressively ahead with its branded Clear service for most of the year, while Sprint Nextel has been more interested in Clearwire focusing on expanding its WiMAX footprint. Clearwire has recently halted work on pushing its network deployment beyond the 120 million pops threshold as it works on securing additional funding.
The pause could spell trouble for the carrier’s current next-generation market lead as Verizon Wireless is set to launch its LTE-based network covering 100 million pops in 38 markets by the end of the year. Verizon Wireless has said it plans to cover more than 285 million pops with the new network by the end of 2013.