Clearwire Transforms Wi-Fi Devices with the CLEAR^™ Spot Personal Hotspot Accessory

KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--While many portable electronic devices now incorporate Wi-Fi, consumers typically have been unable to connect to a true broadband network without first finding a Wi-Fi hotspot. Today, Clearwire Communications LLC, an operating subsidiary of Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ: CLWR) announced the CLEAR™ Spot Personal Hotspot, an accessory which enables standard Wi-Fi products to connect to the Internet, at true broadband speeds, via the company’s CLEAR™ mobile WiMAX service.

“Clearwire’s mobile WiMAX network offers an attractive opportunity to expand the reach of our products into a new and growing mobile networking standard while helping the company to expand the value of WiMAX to the wide array of Wi-Fi-enabled devices already in the marketplace.”

The CLEAR Spot creates a personal Wi-Fi hotspot that travels with consumers anywhere they happen to be within the CLEAR service area. Manufactured by CradlePoint, this first CLEAR Spot device is a portable, battery-powered router that seamlessly connects up to eight Wi-Fi devices to the Internet via CLEAR’s mobile WiMAX network. Customers simply insert their CLEAR USB Modem (available for $49) into the router and an instant Wi-Fi hotspot is created allowing any Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronic or PC device to utilize the power of CLEAR’s mobile WiMAX network. With CLEAR Spot, any existing, off-the-shelf Wi-Fi device (compatible with 802.11b/g) can connect to CLEAR’s mobile WiMAX network.

“With CLEAR Spot, we’ve combined the speed and mobility of our 4G service with the ubiquity of Wi-Fi to create the best possible broadband experience for our customers,” said Scott Richardson, chief strategy officer for Clearwire. “While many CE devices will eventually include embedded WiMAX technology, our customers can now easily use their existing Wi-Fi-enabled phones, cameras, game systems, or laptops in compelling new ways. Since CLEAR is a true broadband Internet service, which just happens to be delivered wirelessly, we actually welcome the use of heavy bandwidth data applications that conventional 3G network operators may discourage or simply can’t support. In fact, we encourage our customers to use their Wi-Fi-enabled smart phones, or other CE devices, on our open network to receive better Internet connections.”

“CradlePoint technology is at the forefront of device interoperability and we are excited to enter the WiMAX ecosystem through our relationship with Clearwire in developing the CLEAR Spot device,” said Jack Alton, CradlePoint vice president of sales. “Clearwire’s mobile WiMAX network offers an attractive opportunity to expand the reach of our products into a new and growing mobile networking standard while helping the company to expand the value of WiMAX to the wide array of Wi-Fi-enabled devices already in the marketplace.”

Wide Range of Devices & Applications

With an all-IP network designed specifically for data, CLEAR’s mobile WiMAX service delivers mobile download speeds up to 4Mb per second to any Wi-Fi devices used in conjunction with CLEAR Spot. CLEAR’s mobile Internet plans do not require long term service contracts and can be purchased by the day for just $10, or by the month, starting at $30 per month. CLEAR’s flexibility and capability enables consumers, businesses, and government agencies to receive greater value from the devices they already own. Possible examples include:

• 3G Smartphone Owners: Owners of an Apple^® iPhone^™ 3G and iPod^® Touch, select Blackberry^® smartphones or Windows Mobile phones, a G1 (Google’s^™ first Android^™ phone), as well as the upcoming Palm^® Pre™, could connect to the Internet at speeds several times faster than their phones’ embedded 3G technology – without having to find a Wi-Fi hotspot.
• Music Lovers: CLEAR customers with an Apple iPod Touch, Microsoft Zune^®, or other Wi-Fi-enabled MP3 player can wirelessly download new songs while sitting outside with friends, commuting to work, or at the gym.
• Photos and Videos: Owners of Wi-Fi-enabled digital cameras or video cameras, like the Sony Cybershot^™ DSC G3, Panasonic^® LUMIX^® DMC-TZ50, or Nikon^® Coolpix^® S610c, can now use CLEAR Spot to upload photos or videos right from the ball game, company picnic, or while walking around town.
• Gamers: Fans of the Sony PSP^® or Nintendo DS^™ can take portable gaming to the next level by connecting over CLEAR’s 4G network to enjoy high-speed multiplayer action on the go.
• Families: One CLEAR Spot device plugged into the family Minivan’s power adapter can bring a world of information and entertainment to the backseat. Since CLEAR Spot supports multiple users, one child could use Google to research a homework assignment on a netbook, while another plays video games, and a third watches Hulu while checking on friends through Google Latitude on a laptop.
• Emergency Responders: At the scene of an incident, public safety personnel can use one CLEAR Spot device to set up a mobile command center for up to eight of their existing laptops. This means they no longer need to rely on relatively slow cellular modem cards in order to receive or transmit critical, time sensitive information.
• Business Professionals: The pervasiveness of embedded Wi-Fi in laptops, netbooks, and Macbooks enables business professionals to receive true broadband Internet service around the city, while mobile, or at the office.

Pricing and Availability

As part of a multi-year network build-out plan, CLEAR’s mobile WiMAX service is expected to become available in major metropolitan areas across the U.S., and is currently available in Portland, Oregon. The CLEAR Spot router, manufactured by CradlePoint, will be available for $139 at CLEAR stores and authorized dealers or online at www.clear.com in early-April. The new router is just the first CLEAR Spot Wi-Fi-enabled device from Clearwire. The company expects to introduce other CLEAR Spot enabled products in the coming months.

About Clearwire

Clearwire Communications, LLC, an operating subsidiary of Clearwire Corporation, (NASDAQ: CLWR), offers a robust suite of advanced high-speed Internet services to consumers and businesses. As part of a multi-year network build-out plan, Clearwire’s 4G service, called CLEAR™, will be available in major metropolitan areas across the U.S, and bring together an unprecedented combination of speed and mobility. Clearwire’s open all-IP network, combined with significant spectrum holdings, provides unmatched network capacity to deliver next generation broadband access. Strategic investors include Intel Capital, Comcast, Sprint, Google, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks. Clearwire currently provides 4G service, utilizing WiMAX technology in two markets and provides pre-WiMAX communications services in 50 markets across the U.S. and Europe. Headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., additional information about Clearwire is available at www.clearwire.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the securities laws. The words "will," "would," "may," "should," "estimate," "project," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "believe," "target," "designed" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, the Company's expectations regarding: future financial and operating performance and financial condition; network deployment and market launch plans; other plans, objectives and strategies; product development; and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are projections reflecting management's judgment and assumptions based on currently available information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements.

Future performance cannot be assured. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to the risks referenced in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors.”

Clearwire believes the forward-looking statements in this release are reasonable; however, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and speak only as of the date of this release. Clearwire is not obligated to publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.

Apple^®, and iPod Touch^® are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. iPhone^™ is a trademark of Apple Inc.; Sony^® and PSP^® are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. Sony Cyber-shot^™ DSC G3 is a trademark of Sony Corporation; Microsoft ^®, Windows Mobile^® and Zune^® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Nikon^® and Coolpix^® are registered trademarks of Nikon Corporation. Nikon Coolpix S610c^™ is a trademark of Nikon Corporation; Nintendo^® is a registered trademark of Nintendo Corporation. Nintendo DS^™ is a trademark of Nintendo Corporation; Panasonic^® and Lumix^® are registered trademarks of Panasonic Corporation; Blackberry® is a registered trademark for Research in Motion; Palm® is a registered trademark of Palm Corporation. Palm® Pre™ is a trademark of Palm Corporation; Google and Android are trademarks of Google Inc. G1 and T-Mobile G1 are trademarks of T-Mobile USA, Inc.

All product and service names listed in this release remain property of their parent companies and do not indicate support or endorsement for Clearwire or CLEAR Spot.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5930410&lang=en