Best Buy readies branded mobile broadband services from Clearwire

Best Buy Co. Inc. (BBY) hasn’t been shy about its grandiose plans for mobile. The company has gone after the app space, devices and music, just to name a few.
Today the big-box retailer announced a new wholesale arrangement with Clearwire Corp. (CLWR) to sell high-speed mobile Internet service under its recently launched Best Buy Connect service.
Best Buy plans to sell mobile broadband service plans under the new agreement beginning next year. Clearwire has said it will cover at least 120 million people in the United States by then.
“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,” Jed Stillman, VP of Best Buy Connect, said in a prepared statement. “This agreement paves the way to providing one-stop shopping and support for mobile broadband as more people become more connected across all kinds of devices. We believe consumers will appreciate the added advantage of relying on Best Buy Connect for both 3G and 4G mobile broadband services beginning next year.”
The deal marks Clearwire’s first wholesale agreement with a company that’s not among its group of deep-pocketed investors. That group includes Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), Time Warner Inc. (TWX), Google Inc. (GOOG), Intel Corp. (INTC) and Bright House Networks LLC.