clearwire

Dish Network is sitting pretty right now.

The demise of AT&T's $39 billion deal to acquire T-Mobile leaves AT&T in a vulnerable position, that of a company in need of wireless spectrum but with few sources from whom to acquire it.

Verizon Wireless has only exacerbated the dilemma with its own move to acquire spectrum held by the cable providers, which shores up its own position. The broadcasters, meanwhile, have been sitting on a stash of spectrum and have been fighting attempts by the Federal Communications Commission to repurpose it for the wireless industry.

AT&… Read more

Clearwire shareholders and customers can breathe a sigh of relief now.

The wholesale 4G network provider said today it raised $734 million in its latest stock offering, shoring up its cash position just as it was facing potential issues meeting its financial obligations. The funds include $402.5 million from the stock offering, and another $331.4 million from Sprint Nextel, its largest customer and shareholder.

The funding prevented Clearwire from potentially missing out on a debt payment, a threat the company laid out publicly during its negotiations with Sprint. The company initially planned a $300 million stock offering, but … Read more

Clearwire expects to raise $350 million in its stock offering next week, an increase over its previous plans to raise $300 million.

The money-losing mobile broadband provider and wholesaler plans to sell 175 million Class A shares at $2 in an offering expected to close on December 13, the company said in a statement today. Clearwire said it plans to use the proceeds from the offering to continue to operate and upgrade its existing WiMax network to a newer technology called LTE.

Sprint Nextel, the majority shareholder in Clearwire, will buy about 172 million shares of the company's Class … Read more

Clearwire is on its way to shoring up its coffers.

The mobile broadband provider and wholesaler said it is planning a public stock offering of $300 million. It's unclear how many shareholders are willing to re-up on a stock that has fallen 60 percent this year.

The funds are critical to Clearwire's continued ability to operate and upgrade its existing WiMax network to a newer technology called LTE. Last week, Sprint Nextel swooped in and saved the company by committing up to $1.6 billion in financing. Sprint, along with being the majority shareholder, is also Clearwire's … Read more

Cable providers Comcast and Time Warner Cable will stop reselling Clearwire's 4G wireless service following their agreement to hand off their unused mobile spectrum to Verizon Wireless for $3.6 billion, CNET has learned.

Part of the Verizon deal gives the cable companies the right to resell Verizon's wireless service, which will become the cable providers' exclusive partner once the spectrum aspect of the agreement goes through, said Time Warner Cable spokesman Alexander Dudley.

Both companies will slowly wind down their Clearwire business over the next six months, and plan to move their existing customers to other options. … Read more

Clearwire made good on a $237 million interest payment due today and announced it has finalized a funding and resale agreement with Sprint Nextel worth up to $1.6 billion to keep the company afloat.

For months, Clearwire's future has been anything but clear as the company scrambled to line up cash to fund daily operations and finish a nationwide 4G wireless network. Last month, the company said it might miss its scheduled debt payment due to its tight financial situation. It had been unclear whether Sprint, Clearwire's largest investor and also its biggest wholesale customer, would bail … Read more

Clearwire is considering whether or not to make a major loan payment as the cash-strapped wireless provider looks for financing options.

The company is supposed to make a $237 million payment on December 1. With $698 million in cash and short-term investments as of September 30, it can certainly meet the obligation, but at the cost of a significant chunk of its remaining war chest. As a result, the company is debating whether to skip the payment, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Clearwire, which operates a 4G WiMax network used by Sprint Nextel and other wireless resellers, is at … Read more

Sprint Nextel inched closer to potentially providing funding to cash-strapped Clearwire in its latest debt offering.

The company said today that it plans to offer a private placement of debt due in 2018 and 2021. The uses include general expenses, network upgrades, and the repayment of existing debt. The most interesting, of course, is the potential funding of 4G WiMax provider Clearwire, which Sprint has so far been mum on.

"Securing the capital to fund those items while maintaining a solid cash balance in the case that Clearwire needs funding is important for Sprint's future," said Walter … Read more

Sprint Nextel is nearing a deal to extend its current network-sharing agreement with Clearwire to three to five years, Bloomberg reported today.

The deal would allow Sprint to tap into Clearwire's network and wireless capacity to power its own services. For Clearwire, it provides a measure of confidence in the company's long-term prospects. Sprint, meanwhile, secures another resource as it pursues its own 4G course.

Sprint said yesterday it had reached a non-binding agreement to work together on the technical specifications for Clearwire's planned upgrade to 4G LTE. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said the agreement serves as … Read more