Clearwire, which is testing both LTE and WiMAX technology in Phoenix, revealed the results of its initial LTE tests at the recent 4G World show. According to COO Mike Sievert, who said that the company is seeing huge growth in mobile video usage over its network, Clearwire recorded peak download speeds of 90Mb/s. The company had previously stated that its WiMAX network offers a download speed of 3Mb/s of 6Mb/s. Verizon Wireless, which plans to launch its LTE network by the end of 2010, has recorded download speeds of between 8Mb/s and 12Mb/s.
Using gear from Samsung and Huawei, Clearwire is testing both 4G technologies in 10MHz x 10MHz and 20MHz x 20MHz configurations; the first configuration clocked download speeds of 50Mb/s, and the above-mentioned 90Mb/s with the second. Clearwire is slated to cover 120 million POPs with WiMAX this year, but it’s unclear whether the LTE tests would encourage the company to switch to the faster network. Clearwire, which has as much as 150MHz spectrum in some markets, is auctioning off some spectrum to fund operations and is in negotiations with T-Mobile USA.
