Clear Wireless (CLWR) is a recently emerged wireless internet service provider founded by Craig McGraw in 2003. It serves an international market place of over 61 markets as of December 2009. Its markets include Ireland, Spain, Belgium, Mexico, and the United States. Clearwire constructs and manages mobile broadband networks that provide high-speed residential and mobile Internet access as well as residential voice services in communities. They have just fewer than 4,000 employees so it is a relatively small corporation.

But in the past 5 years is when things really got going for the company. They merged with Sprint-Nextel in 2008 and Sprint now owns 51% of the company, but other significant shareholders include Comcast and Google. Within the past year Sprint introduced the first commercially available 4G cellphone in the U.S. the HTC EVO 4G. The device uses Clearwire’s 4G network along Sprint’s 3G network and Google’s Android OS. This 4G network is being used by Sprint to compete with the likes of competitors such as the iPhone.

With such competition like this the wireless telecom landscape has changed vastly. Because the iPhone only operates on a slower 3G and AT&T as a whole is largely behind the curve towards a solid 4G network, AT&T is now caught up with Verizon to supply its customers with a 4G network. Now U.S mobile suppliers are basically forced to have to upgrade their entire networks. Sprint, the 3rd largest wireless company, now undoubtedly has the edge in the new 4G network competition thanks to its principal investments with Clearwire Corporation.

Sources:
http://online.wsj.com/quotes/key_facts.html?mod=2_0470&symbol=CLWR&news-symbol=CLWR
http://online.wsj.com/quotes/main.html?symbol=CLWR&type=usstock usfund&mod=DNH_S
http://moconews.net/article/419-atts-randall-stephenson-explains-4gs-growing-pains/