Clearwire unveils cheaper mobile WiMAX plans in Portland: Clear modems, plans less expensive than those from Xohm

Clearwire Corp. launched mobile WiMAX service in Portland, Ore., with cheaper prices than previous WiMAX efforts.
The “Clear” home Internet service plans start at $20 per month with on-the-go plans starting at $30 per month. The $20 per month home service includes network speeds up to 786 kilobits per second, while an extra $10 per month ratchets that speed up to 3 megabits per second. And for $40 per month users can have access to download speeds up to 6 megabits per second.
Clear’s on-the-go Internet service pricing is also tiered, but instead of being based on speed, it’s based on usage. For $30 per month users can download up to 200 megabytes of data; $40 per month gives 2 gigabytes of data transmission; both plans also include a $10 per gigabyte overage fee. For $50 per month users can receive unlimited access to the network, though Clearwire does indicate it can throttle network usage for certain activities.
The Clear pricing comes in lower than that offered last year by Sprint Nextel Corp. under its soon-to-be-deceased Xohm brand. When Sprint Nextel launched its mobile WiMAX Xohm service in Baltimore last year, it offered service for $35 per month at home and $45 per month while mobile.
Clearwire said it will replace the Xohm brand in Baltimore with its own “Clear” brand in the coming months.
Separately, Sprint Nextel is moving ahead with its new “Sprint 4G” brand, under which it will sell mobile WiMAX services via an MVNO relationship with Clearwire. The actions spring from the completion of the two companies’ new mobile WiMAX partnership.
Interestingly, Clearwire is also coming in with cheaper mobile WiMAX modems. The carrier offers a $50 USB laptop-plug-in modem from Motorola Inc., which can also be leased for $5 per month. Xohm’s home modem costs $80, while Sprint Nextel’s “Sprint 4G” modem clocks in at $150. Sprint Nextel’s modem supports both WiMAX and CDMA connections.
Clearwire currently offers pre-WiMAX Internet services in 46 markets throughout the United States. The company said it will announce rollout plans for future markets and upgrade plans for existing pre-WiMAX markets early this year.
Article updated Jan. 7 to include additional information.