Another blow for Clearwire, Nortel dumps mobile WiMAX

By on Jan 31, 2009 at 7:42 AM
News January 31, 2009

Earlier this month, Nokia quietly discontinued production of its N810 WiMAX Edition internet tablet and recalled unsold units from distribution partners. The move was a big one where Sprint and Clearwire are concerned as despite slow sales, the N810 WiMAX Edition was one of the most widely available mobile devices beyond laptop cards to tout WiMAX compatibility. While Clearwire continues to push forward with its WiMAX roll out, another blow came Thursday from Nortel as the company announced it would be discontinuing its mobile WiMAX business and ending its agreement with Alvarion Ltd. Richard Lowe, President of Carrier Networks at Nortel had this to say:

We are taking rapid action to narrow our strategic focus to areas where we can drive maximum return on investment. We will work closely with Alvarion to transition our mobile WiMAX customers to them and assure customers that they will continue to benefit from leading-edge technology and high-quality service. Our continued success in the wireless business requires us to focus our energy on opportunities with long-standing customers. This will position Nortel more effectively to capitalize on future resurgence of carrier spend levels and drive value to the business.

The move is hardly a surprising one – Nortel recently turned the page on a poor 2008 and is scrambling along with the rest of the corporate world to stay afloat during harsh economic times. Shedding its WiMAX business is a step that will help the company reduce costs and focus on business with a more immediate return. As for Alvarion and its WiMAX customers, the company is working overtime to ensure the negative impact is minimal.

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  • backbeat

    ^Have you recently been diagnosed with dementia?

    Idiot.

  • Don Louie

    4G Wars, by 12/09

  • backbeat

    ^Eh?

    Idiot.

    Fuck you, MrMultiLoginTroll.

  • Don Louie

    Yesterday executive Scott Lane, targeted early ’10 as the date for a Wi Max smart. Who needs Nortel?

  • backbeat

    ^Wrong, MrMultiLoginTroll! What Lane said was that Sprint hoped to have a wimax –capable phone– by early 2010.

    A huge difference between -launching- wimax and having a phone [to replace the only one that had been available in the US - the Nokia N810 which has been pulled from the market]. There was -no- mention of ‘launching’ wimax.

    Idiot.

  • Don Louie

    When alluding to Android and the article actually saying “Sprint will have a Wi Max smartphone in 2010″ leads me to believe that skim of the article didn’t give full comprehension. Computerworld.com

  • backbeat

    ^TRANSLATION: “I thoroughly fucked up as usual”.

    Idiot.

  • Don Louie

    So far att tested Wi Max, sold the spectrum, tried to stop the venture and now say Wi Max is for rural, Wi Max by the end of ’09 with handsets, smartphones and devices next year. I was wrong in saying att didn’t do Wi Max, nowhere else.

  • Don Louie

    The comprehension problem of the article comes from whoever disputes that a Wi Max smartphone is in the making

  • backbeat

    ^You -still- don’t get it, MrMultiLoginTroll.

    Coward.

  • Don Louie

    ATT looks to be loosening it’s stance on stopping the venture and may even embrace it for rural areas, Wi Max handsets, smartphones and aircards in a year or less. Facts make for fun, my info sources are listed

  • backbeat

    ^Thanks for your admission that you entertain yourself with your own inability to comprehend the facts, MrMultiLoginTroll.

    Coward.

  • Don Louie

    Thank you for not admitting the smartphone/Android reference in the article, just knew you would say I was lying about att looking at Wi Max for rural areas too.

  • backbeat

    @DonOuie/MrMultiLoginTroll who idiotically stated: “When alluding to Android and the article actually saying “Sprint will have a Wi Max smartphone in 2010″ leads me to believe that skim of the article didn’t give full comprehension”

    The truth hasn’t changed:

    TRANSLATION: “I thoroughly fucked up as usual”.

    Own it, bitchboy.
    :)

  • Don Louie

    I was wrong about att trailing Wi Max and you were wrong about Wi Max smartphones, Android is a smartphone platform so a Wi Max/Android phone is smartphone. Cherrypicking information from the article doesn’t change reality, the article says a smartphone is in the making but the platform(s) are at debte

  • backbeat

    ^What, specifically, was incorrect in my statement about how you thoroughly fucked up the content of the very article you linked to when the article was -solely- about having a wimax-capable phone in early ’10, idiot? I never made any mention of Android, MrMultiLoginTroll.

    http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9127879&intsrc=hm_list

    Name it, bitch.
    :)

  • Don Louie

    1st sentence, “SprintNextel expect to launch a new smartphone to work over highspeed wireless WiMax, CDMA cellular and possibly WiFi” and goes on to say the WiMax handset “could possibly be Android based”, that comes from the very same article.

  • backbeat

    ^… And …

    Who said it would not be a smartphone or would not be Android?

    It was –your– original claim that Sprint was launching WiMax in early ’10.

    Wrong on that point.

    Now you claim that a nonexistent argument exists about whether the article is about a smartphone or not?

    Idiot.

    Fuck you [again], ya pussy.

  • Don Louie

    “What Lane said was there would launch a wimax capable handset”, I jumped the gun with “early ’10″ the rest of what I said came from the article

  • backbeat

    ^Orphaning your false-argument about Android vs smartphone (or whatever) as if it never happened, coward?

    Typical.

    Ya adolescent cunt.

  • Attila tha Hun

    I read over all the comments in this and see no ill intent in any post except a few. One poster tried to change the subject from what is better/what is failing/what is dying to an announcement that a WiMax smartphones are on the way, was a little zealous in the timeframe, only to get attacked. Backbeat is a bright individual but based on the one post where Don was made to be wrong, it comes off as phone but not more WiMax was coming. There are slips of the finger which occur w/everyone and I knew what he/she meant a smartphone was comming and I think you knew too but wanted invalidate the whole post when you actually made the point that was intended with further post.
    I am anxious to the futher develpoments in WiMax because if choice is driven away the cost for the alternative will increase

  • backbeat

    ^Why are you bothering to masquerade as an Apologist-in-Drag? Just can’t kick the habit, MrMultiLoginTroll?

    Fuck you -and- your insult to intelligence.

  • Attila tha Hun

    Confused little mind, Audi 5000

  • Don Louie

    WiMax has a fight on it’s hands, not til the end of the year though.

  • Don Louie

    Clearwire is going to have 7 more markets by the end of the year (eagerly anticipating the Chicago launch) and Nokia is backpedaling on the “only LTE” claim

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