Deutsche Telekom has made little secret this year of the fact that its American wireless unit is on thin ice; whether that's a result of poor coverage, a failure to keep pace technologically, weak spectrum allocation, or a combination thereof is a source of endless debate, but none of it is stopping T-Mobile USA from pushing forward aggressively with a nationwide 21Mbps HSPA+ rollout in 2010. Of course, network buildouts of that magnitude don't come cheap, and hungry investors are still marching on DT's doorstep asking when they might be able to expect black ink. A couple loose-lipped tipsters to German paper Handelsblatt have said that the next step could very well involve a major partnership with another carrier -- as opposed to an outright acquisition like we've heard before -- possibly with Clearwire, MetroPCS, or AT&T. T-Mobile USA has been famously tight-lipped so far on its 4G plans, instead concentrating on building out a solid 3.75G one, which means that its long-term plans are wide open -- partnering with Clearwire would likely mean aligning itself with WiMAX, while both MetroPCS and AT&T have already committed to LTE. Another possibility apparently being thrown around involves bringing in a financial partner (a sugar daddy, if you will) to shore up the carrier's bottom line, but either way, we suspect this'll all end up deciding the carrier's post-21Mbps strategy.

We knew Clearwire would be snaking its 4G services to select markets in North Carolina, Hawaii and Texas before the year's end, but it's always reassuring to hear a corporation come right out and affirm that those leaked dates are still solid. What's interesting about the latest announcement is that both Clearwire and Sprint will be offering 4G in these same cities under their own brands, even though the signals and towers used will be the same. Starting next month, WiMAX will officially land in Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina (Charlotte is already lit up, despite these companies' claims) and Austin; Dallas/Fort Worth; San Antonio, Texas. In December, the companies will get things fired up in Honolulu and Maui, two areas where we're certain techs from Sprint / Clearwire are more than eager to go "test things out." So, now that this has all panned out, how's about another leak sheet for 2010 rollouts?

Save possibly for Sprint, no one's pushing WiMAX harder in the US than Clearwire -- but the commitment doesn't run as deep as you might think. Investing billions in a 4G network that goes brashly against the popular LTE grain is a huge gamble since Clearwire and its partners won't be able to throw as much weight around with manufacturers or achieve the same economies of scale that LTE carriers will, but these guys were smart: CEO Bill Morrow claims that the company has unprecedented flexibility built into its infrastructure, and he's willing to switch gears if LTE or something else ends up burying WiMAX down the road. Boasting that "we're the only carrier that can do this," Morrow says that a move to LTE would be a simple software upgrade for much of its equipment, meaning Clearwire could almost literally change technologies overnight and with minimum expense -- we're sure it'd still put a strain on the bank, but it theoretically wouldn't be as ambitious as changing from CDMA 1X to GSM, for example. Of course, the company's still got all its eggs in one basket for the moment with a clear commitment to WiMAX -- but from a shareholder perspective, it's at least good to know that it's easy to move the eggs.

Think you're good at turning down the upsell? Try saying no to adding WiMAX to your home internet service for the low, low price of whatever Comcast wants to charge. Thanks to a multi-billion dollar tie-up with Clearwire, Comcast has been offering WiMAX-based internet services in a few markets, but now that On Demand Online is a go, it makes sense to think that the operator would use that as leverage to get people hooked. For those unaware, ODO enables Comcast pay-TV subscribers to watch a vast array of programming from any internet connection, which of course means that any ole 3G / 4G data connection would work just as well as Comcast's own. Oh, and while mobile TV is pretty good -- and we're going to let Comcast finish -- watching HDTV at home with a DVR is definitely the best scenario of all time.

Update: Just to be clear, this service won't deliver TV straight to phones.

Pinky and the Brain were consulted, and you can rest assured they were both highly supportive of Clearwire's latest initiative. Announced today in cooperation with Russia's Yota and Japan's UQ Communications, Clearwire has banged out a memorandum of understanding with the aforesaid WiMAX carriers that "identifies the objectives and activities each operator will perform towards the realization of establishing WiMAX roaming between the [two]." With translators in tow, the trio are hoping to define and institute the necessary processes that'll ensure devices from each carrier works on the other's network, and while American's probably couldn't care less about these two operators in particular, it's the thought that counts. Just imagine -- 4G global roaming at a decent price point. That, friends, is the future.

Not like we didn't have reason to believe that the ten markets mentioned in Clearwire's latest press release weren't getting a taste of that sweet, succulent 4G action in the near term, but it's sure good to see the official word passed down. On September 1st (as in, less than a month), the cool kids in Boise, Idaho, Bellingham, Washington and eight Texas markets (Abilene, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Killeen / Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, Waco and Wichita Falls) will be able to laugh heartily at friends in other locales as they struggle to upload their latest YouTube clip over 3G. Each market should expect their own retail store opening as well as all sorts of other launch day shenanigans, some of which involve "promotional offers" that'll undoubtedly be too good to pass up.

Looking for one more excuse to stay inside and avoid that sweltering Las Vegas heat this summer? Good news, gamblers -- Clearwire's CLEAR WiMAX service has officially gone live across 638 square miles in the greater Las Vegas area. By the books, that's serving right around 1.7 million residents, not including the influx of tourists from other WiMAX-equipped cities that will undoubtedly take advantage. To coincide with the launch, Samsung has also announced that its QWERTY-packin', DivX-friendly Mondi -- which we toyed with back at CTIA -- will be available in Vegas-area Best Buy and Clearwire outlets starting August 1st. Said MID arrives with 4G support, WiFi, GPS, 3 megapixel camera, a QWERTY keypad, a 4.3-inch touchscreen, Opera 9.5 and a customizable set of widgets on top of Windows Mobile. The device is supposedly available now through Samsung's website and "select Samsung authorized distributors," but we're having no lucky hunting one down at present time.

Read - CLEAR in Las Vegas
Read - Samsung Mondi shipping

Sure, Clearwire has actually been running its WiMAX network in Atlanta for six weeks already, but that technicality isn't stopping the company from deciding now is the time to "launch" the service in the metro area, with an appropriately-sized marketing blitz to boot. Portland travelers already using the service should feel at home now with their own personal 4G network to keep them company while they engorge on the recommended dosage of Chik-Fil-A sandwiches and Varsity chili dogs. Prices are identical to what we've already heard and, yes, even though the company just quietly launched the service in Las Vegas, expect to see the delayed red carpet rollout for that city sometime later this Summer.

Clearwire's been slowly planting its WiMAX seeds around the country, and with nary a peep, it's rolled out the service into the Las Vegas area, designated by the image above. According to a company rep, the "official" launch -- including new store openings and a marketing blitz -- will begin this summer, but for now, it's operational and ready for those in the know. Portland and Atlanta vacationers, you can now watch your online bank account dwindle faster than you ever could before.

[Via Fierce Wireless; thanks, Zachery]

Read - Clearwire Goes Soft in Vegas
Read - Clear coverage map

Clearwire may not be as ubiquitous as you'd like it to be, but it's taking a huge step forward in hopes of wildly expanding by linking up with Cisco. In essence, the two have joined hands in order to "enhance and expand CLEAR 4G mobile WiMAX services throughout the United States," with Cisco providing the core infrastructure and Clearwire providing the guidance. Potentially more interesting is the notion that Cisco's Linksys brand will soon be delivering "new mobile WiMAX devices," such as routers that will presumably tune to WiFi and WiMAX waves. Specific product details are sorely absent, though Clearwire does reiterate that it's hoping to have WiMAX service to more than 80 markets across the US by the end of next year.

Sprint affiliate iPCS' post-Nextel merger beef with the carrier goes beyond the Nextel market issue; they've also been making noise over the deal that has married Sprint's WiMAX efforts with Clearwire's, claiming that it's sharing awesome technology and other "benefits" with Clearwire that it also has a legal obligation to share with its affiliates. To that end, the Illinois-based company has scored another court win that allows its WiMAX-related lawsuit to proceed, though not without also dropping a claim to collect "undetermined" damages against Sprint that the judge determined iPCS was not entitled to collect under the terms of its agreement. Like the endless Nokia / Qualcomm and Broadcom / Qualcomm legal dramas, this is shaping up to be one for the ages -- so sit back, relax, get your popcorn ready, and make sure you've got a full legal reference at your side.

[Via Phone Scoop]

While Clearwire's Clear Spot (which is really just a refashioned PHS-300) will handle WiMAX right out of the box, those who own one of CradlePoint's existing portable routers are flat out of luck... or are they? Said company has just announced that starting today, shipments of its business-class routers -- including the MBR800, MBR1000, and MBR1100 line of mobile broadband routers, CTR500 mobile broadband travel router, and CBA250 cellular broadband adapter -- will have WiMAX compatibility built in. Furthermore, a forthcoming (April 6th) firmware update will enable existing CradlePoint products to accept select WiMAX devices, and yes, it'll be made available for no charge at all. Talk about throwing a bone to your loyal customers.

Good news for those who happened to live in Portland -- and elsewhere in the years to come. Clearwire's announced that the CradlePoint-manufactured portable WiMAX-equipped WiFi router we saw back in January will be hitting stores in early April as the Clear Spot Personal Hotspot. Up to eight 802.11 b/g-compatible devices will be able to share the 4Mbps bandwidth. Price is $139 for the unit, but of course you'll have to pay The Man beyond that to actually use the service. The company promises more devices like this in the coming months.

The XOHM label may be gone, but the potency of Sprint's WiMAX network is still kickin' in and around Baltimore. For those itching for wicked fast mobile broadband outside of The Charm City, Sprint has just unveiled a slew of expansion areas that'll get gifted in 2009 and 2010. As for the rest of this year, folks in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle can expect Sprint 4G rollouts, while residents of Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. can be on the lookout in 2010. In related news, the carrier is also taking this opportunity to reveal that it has "several new 4G devices planned for 2009 and 2010, including a single-mode 4G data card, embedded laptops, a small-office-home-office broadband modem and a tri-mode phone." Lovely.

Yeah, that's right, Portland, wipe that smug grin off your face. You too, Baltimore, because Clearwire has committed to a list of new mobile WiMAX launches for this year and next -- and needless to say, there are some major markets in the mix. In its earnings call this week, Clearwire revealed 2009 will see Atlanta, Las Vegas, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas / Fort Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia, and Seattle all take the plunge, while '10 will add New York, Washington DC, Boston, and San Fran (among other to-be-named metros). We're not sure whether they're talking about the same U300 USB modem that launched before, but the company has also mentioned that it'll be launching a dual-mode data card this summer, and ahead of that, we'll be getting that portable WiMAX WiFi hotspot by the end of this month. The goal is to cover about 120 million pops in 80 markets by the end of next year, which certainly seems strong enough to give the oncoming LTE rush a run for its money, doesn't it?

[Via mocoNews]