The Wimax wait in the US seems to be endless.  Most of the action has been from small companies serving small markets.Every now and then a little deployment news from the big players drifts in. Such is the case today, and we are only too eager to share:

Portland in August:

Clearwire has been beta testing its Portland service for several weeks with “a very small group of Intel employees” (Intel is among Clearwire’s big financial backers, and the companies held a joint WiMAX trial in Hillsboro last year.)

The company tells me it will announce its rollout plans, including a Portland timetable, on its quarterly earnings call early next month. (Silicon Forest)

Baltimore in September:

Sprint’s first launch, under the name Xohm, will be in Baltimore in September, with switch-ons following in Chicago and Washington DC. Clearwire plans to launch in Portland, Oregon, in early 4Q-2008, with Atlanta, Las Vegas and Grand Rapids, Michigan, to follow. A report from Muniwireless.com, which quotes a conversation with Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff, says the telco is currently beta testing its Portland network. The Sprint-Clearwire partnership, which will operate under the Clearwire name, is not expected to achieve anything like nationwide WiMAX coverage until 2010 or 2011. (Telegeography)

We we hear more, we’ll add. C’mon guys, get to DFW, I’m dying to give AT&T DSL the boot!

While approval for the Sprint / Clearwire Wimax merger lingers in regulatory limbo, the two companies continue to activate service separately. Clearwire has announced new service in four more cities.

Portland, Oregon is about ready for testing right now while infrastructure is getting prepped for Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Grand Rapids in 2009. The Oregon area is already built out around 70%, so I’d gather that if the testing goes well, Oregonians will see service availability as early as year-end. (JK on the run)

Well many expected Google to be the anthesis of the Telcos, swoop in buy up the 700mhz block and sell bandwidth subsidized by wireless ad revenue. Well that didn’t pan out so well. Now Ars Technica is suggesting that the new Clearwire consortium might be that ‘ThirdPipe’. –

A lengthy document filed this week with the FCC asks for permission to merge the 2.5GHz spectrum assets of Sprint and Clearwire into "New Clearwire," the company backed by Sprint, Clearwire, Intel, Time Warner, Google, and Bright House. In the filing, Clearwire makes the case that it will provide true "third pipe" Internet access to home and mobile users at speeds of 6Mbps (and 3Mbps uplink).

The companies involved know how to make the right promises:

• "New Clearwire will permit consumers to use any lawful device that they want so long as it is compatible with and not harmful to the WiMAX network
• "New Clearwire also will permit consumers to download and use any software applications, content, or services they desire, subject only to reasonable network management practices and law enforcement and public safety considerations
• "New Clearwire will offer non-exclusive wholesale access to its network
• "New Clear wire will deploy an advanced mobile WiMAX broadband network that will cover up to 140 million people in the United States in 30 months"

Ars quotes that Clearwire has filed a request with the FCC that they be permitted to logically merge several bands from an operatonal perspective. Assuming this happens and the FCC relents this might be the engine that gives Verizon competition to their 700mhz acquisition.

Linky.

A strange brew of investors and partners will constitute the first nationwide Wimax network in the US. While lack of funds was never referred to by either Sprint or Clearwire as a reason for delays. it’s an obvious factor. The new cash infusion from investors should insure a proper and hopefully a faster build out.

The new Clearwire will be a $14.5 billion venture with Sprint, Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O), Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC.N), Intel Corp (INTC.O), Google Inc (GOOG.O) and Bright House Networks, to build a high-speed wireless Internet network based on the emerging WiMax technology.

WiMax promises to blanket entire cities with Web access for laptops, cell phones and other wireless devices at fast speeds. It aims to have a service area covering as many as 140 million people in the United States by the end of 2010.

Sprint, which would otherwise have had to invest $5 billion on a solo WiMax network, will now inject WiMax assets valued at $7.4 billion into the venture, giving it 51 percent ownership.

Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Intel, Google and cable operator Bright House will get a combined 22 percent and are expected to kick in $3.2 billion to help finance the project.

Existing shareholders of Clearwire, founded by wireless pioneer Craig McCaw, will own the 27 percent of the venture, which is expected to retain Clearwire’s stock symbol. (Yahoo)

Now a message to Clearwire from the Third Pipe team: Build well and quickly and we’ll sing your praises and even give you a pass or two for mis steps in construction and growing pains. Fail to deliver now and we’ll report with the same zeal. You humble admin is very eager to unplug his Death Star DSL modem as soon as competitive service is available.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the two companies have agree to merge thier wireless units with the help of investments from a few outsiders with Wimax interests.

Sprint has agreed to merge its wireless broadband unit with Clearwire, a Kirkland, Wash., firm founded by cellphone pioneer Craig McCaw. The new company has raised a total of $3.2 billion in outside financing from several heavyweights – $1.05 billion from cable provider Comcast Corp., $1 billion from Intel Corp., $550 million from Time Warner Cable Inc. and $500 million from Internet giant Google. (Wall Street Journal)

Let’s hope that a merged entity will get things moving better than the 2 parts have so far. A little real boradband competition in a few markets could radically change things for the consumer….. for the better.

Back to where we were a year ago, with the possibility of a little bonus financing from Wimax big brother Intel, and it looks like the 2 companies who can’t do it alone are joining forces again.

The deal, which could be announced in the next few days, would create a new company that combines Sprint’s licenses in the 2.5-gigahertz wireless spectrum and Clearwire’s spectrum in the same and adjoining air waves.

Additional financing is also expected from other firms, say these same sources.

Sprint and Clearwire representatives declined to comment. Intel Capital did not respond to a request for comment.

The two companies revived deal talks, according to press reports, after Sprint tore up a prior agreement in November. That earlier plan had called for Sprint to chip in $2.75 billion toward the expansion of WiMax networks to 19 cities by the end of this year, but the company pulled out of that pact in an effort to undo the work of former CEO Gary Forsee. (from TheStreet.com)

This is good news for US broadband users, and for mobile device users. While the intial 2-4 MBPS speeds to be offered are a far cry from the new world standard of 100 MBPS, reality is that is competitive with the current DSL service level that is available to most Americans. Add mobility, and availability to previously unserved and under served areas and this should be a winner if the new company will only get the word out. If they can manage a real speed boost up to the actual capability of Wimax, it could also be a duopoly killer.

The on again off again relationship between Clearwire and Sprint continues. New and presumably level headed management at Sprint has prompted new talks between the two, but the only agreement so far has been to use a common architecture:

Clearwire Corp. and Sprint Nextel Corp. still haven’t resurrected their now-defunct plan for a collaborative nationwide mobile WiMAX buildout, Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff said in a conference call this morning.

However, the two companies aren’t ignoring each other, either.

“The companies have aligned on common network architecture,” Wolff announced at Clearwire’s investor conference in Portland, Ore.

“The teams have made a lot of progress in the last 60 days,” Wolff said, adding that both companies are “making significant progress on the terms of our roaming agreement.” (from RCR News)

As the saga continues it appears that the 2 companies recognize some synergy between them is possible. If they could make a roaming agreement, and deploy in cities for maximum joint coverage they would do one another a great deal of good. Another access choice, especially one without a wire would be very good for America as well.

A review of what WiMax represents in a singular instance. An advanced wireless environment changes the concept of Place. No longer is Work locked to Place. Yet Consumerism will be intimate with Place. From the article –

My cell phone rang just as I pulled my car into a park along the Puget Sound. I needed to add something to a news story I had written a few hours earlier, but I really didn’t want to give up my evening stroll.

Instead of driving back to the office or hunting for a Wi-Fi hotspot, I booted up my laptop, plugged in a PC card, connected to the Internet and updated my story - all from a bench near the water, with a dreamy view of snowcapped mountains.

Such a feat is no surprise to anyone with a wireless card from a cellular carrier, but I wasn’t connected to the networks of Verizon Wireless, Sprint or AT&T. Instead, I used an early version of the relatively new technology WiMax, which is being offered in Seattle by Clearwire Corp.

What’s exciting here is the availability of yet another pipe for accessing the Internet at home, in the office and on the go. It raises the possibility that it not only will be faster but also - in theory - cheaper than the competition.

Full article here.

Clearwire’s stock has jumped based on a possible acquisition. Rumor has it might be a consortium headed by Intel. BUT IT IS RUMOR at this point. Link.

[Update:] Forbes —

Without releasing any major news on Friday, shares of Clearwire skyrocketed on what analysts considered bogus rumors.

In early November telecommunications firms Sprint Nextel (nyse: S - news - people ) and Clearwire (nasdaq: CLWR - news - people ) announced they were ending their WiMax partnership, but each claimed the breakup was mutual. Clearwire investors took the news as negative, sending shares into a nosedive, while Sprint’s shareholders were less worried.

Clearwire Chart for the week.

Forbes link.

Disclaimer.

Ok we have spent considerable as has the press on the Sprint - Clearwire XOHM relationship. Its on. Its off. Its why. Well all the bits may have been for naught or maybe not. But the web site Unstrung is reporting that there might be a rekindling of the relationship next year –

Financial analyst firm ThinkEquity Partners issued a research note Thursday morning suggesting that the WiMax relationship between Clearwire LLC (Nasdaq: CLWR - message board) and Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S - message board) may not be dead after all.

ThinkEquity Analyst Eric Kainer writes that the firms could renew their wireless broadband cooperation next year as Sprint launches its nationwide WiMax network. “This launch is likely to be delayed to 2H08 as Sprint hires a CEO and re-establishes its relationship with Clearwire,” notes Kainer.

But don’t get your hopes up –

A Sprint spokesman this week told Unstrung that any talk of a renewed Clearwire partnership “falls under the category of rumor and speculation.”

Got that? Good. Then please forward us the answer will ya?

Linky.