Clearwire TDD-LTE Network to Serve 4G 'Hot Zones' in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and More
GlobeNewswire 2012-04-26
-- TDD-LTE Network Planned for High Demand "Hot Zones" in 31 Markets
-- Initial Market Launches Scheduled for Early 2013, with Remaining Markets
Planned for Mid-2013
BELLEVUE, Wash., April 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clearwire
Corporation (Nasdaq:CLWR) today announced that New York City, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle will be among the 31 cities
where the company will launch its TDD-LTE network during the first half
of 2013. Deployment of Clearwire's TDD-LTE network will target high
demand "hot zones" in major urban centers where demand for 4G mobile
broadband access is high and the need for deep 4G capacity resources is
most acute.
"Our new 4G network will show that not all LTE networks are created
equal," said Erik Prusch, President and CEO of Clearwire. "Clearwire's
LTE Advanced-ready network will deploy our deep spectrum resources for
the next great era in mobile broadband in which capacity is king. We're
positioned to bring much needed capacity on a wholesale basis to
address the unbridled demand for mobile data and the scarcity of
spectrum in major urban and suburban markets."
Clearwire LTE: The Next-Generation of 4G
Clearwire's next-generation LTE Advanced-ready network will be a major
advancement over the current LTE networks deployed in the U.S. By
leveraging its deep spectrum holdings to commercialize large contiguous
swaths of spectrum in a given market, Clearwire believes its LTE
Advanced-ready network will further differentiate it as a leader in
next-generation 4G mobile broadband technology, capable of serving the
current and anticipated future demands of wholesale and retail
customers.
The company will announce the additional cities where it will launch
TDD-LTE service at a later date.
About Clearwire
Clearwire Corporation (Nasdaq:CLWR), through its operating
subsidiaries, is a leading provider of 4G wireless broadband services
offering services in areas of the U.S. where more than 130 million
people live. The company holds the deepest portfolio of wireless
spectrum available for data services in the U.S. Clearwire serves
retail customers through its own CLEAR(R) brand as well as through
wholesale relationships with some of the leading companies in the
retail, technology and telecommunications industries, including Sprint
and NetZero. The company is constructing a next-generation 4G LTE
Advanced-ready network to address the capacity needs of the market, and
is also working closely with the Global TDD-LTE Initiative and China
Mobile to further the TDD-LTE ecosystem. Clearwire is headquartered in
Bellevue, Wash. Additional information is available at
http://www.clearwire.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release, and other written and oral statements made by Clearwire
from time to time, contain forward-looking statements which are based
on management's current expectations and beliefs, as well as on a
number of assumptions concerning future events made with information
that is currently available. Forward-looking statements may include,
without limitation, management's expectations regarding future
financial and operating performance and financial condition; proposed
transactions; network development and market launch plans; strategic
plans and objectives; industry conditions; the strength of the balance
sheet; and liquidity and financing needs. The words "will," "would,"
"may," "should," "estimate," "project," "forecast," "intend," "expect,"
"believe," "target," "designed," "plan" and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned
not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are
not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of
uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of
Clearwire's control, which could cause actual results to differ
materially and adversely from such statements. Some factors that could
cause actual results to differ are:
-- We have a history of operating losses and we expect to continue to
realize significant net losses for the foreseeable future.
-- If our business fails to perform as we expect or if we incur unforeseen
expenses in the near term, we may require additional capital to fund our
current business. Also, we will need substantial additional capital over
the long-term. Such additional capital may not be available on
acceptable terms or at all. If we fail to obtain additional capital, our
business prospects, financial condition and results of operations will
likely be materially and adversely affected, and we will be forced to
consider all available alternatives.
-- Our current plans and projections are based on a number of assumptions
about our future performance, which may prove to be inaccurate, such as
our ability to substantially expand our wholesale business and the
expected timing and costs of deploying LTE on our wireless broadband
network.
-- Our business has become increasingly dependent on our wholesale
partners, and Sprint in particular. If we do not receive the amount of
revenues we expect from existing wholesale partners or if we are unable
to enter into new agreements with additional wholesale partners for
significant new wholesale commitments, our business prospects, results
of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected, or we
could be forced to consider all available alternatives.
-- We regularly evaluate our plans, and we may elect to pursue new or
alternative strategies which we believe would be beneficial to our
business, including among other things, expanding our network coverage
to new markets, augmenting our network coverage in existing markets,
changing our sales and marketing strategy and/or acquiring additional
spectrum. Such modifications to our plans could significantly change our
capital requirements.
-- We plan to deploy LTE on our wireless broadband network, alongside
mobile WiMAX and we will incur significant costs to deploy such
technology. Additionally, LTE technology, or other alternative
technologies that we may consider, may not perform as we expect on our
network and deploying such technologies would result in additional risks
to the company, including uncertainty regarding our ability to
successfully add a new technology to our current network and to operate
dual technology networks without disruptions to customer service, as
well as our ability to generate new wholesale customers for the new
network.
-- We currently depend on our commercial partners to develop and deliver
the equipment for our legacy and mobile WiMAX networks, and will be
dependent on commercial partners to deliver equipment and devices for
our planned LTE network as well.
-- Many of our competitors for our retail business are better established
and have significantly greater resources, and may subsidize their
competitive offerings with other products and services.
-- Our substantial indebtedness and restrictive debt covenants could limit
our financing options and liquidity position and may limit our ability
to grow our business.
-- Sprint owns just less than a majority of our common shares, is our
largest shareholder, and has the contractual ability to obtain enough
shares to hold the majority voting interest in the company, and Sprint
may have, or may develop in the future, interests that may diverge from
other stockholders.
-- Future sales of large blocks of our common stock may adversely impact
our stock price.
For a more detailed description of the factors that could cause such a
difference, please refer to Clearwire's filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including the information under the heading "Risk
Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 16, 2012
and in subsequent Form 10-Q filings. Clearwire assumes no obligation to
update or supplement such forward-looking statements.
CONTACT: Investor Relations:
Alice Ryder, 425-636-5828
alice.ryder@clearwire.com
Media Relations:
Susan Johnston, 425-216-7913
susan.johnston@clearwire.com
JLM Partners for Clearwire:
Mike DiGioia or Jeremy Pemble, 206-381-3600
mike@jlmpartners.com or jeremy@jlmpartners.com
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