CLEARWIRE CORP (CLWR)

[expat7]

Report: Intel will put $2B in Sprint-Clearwire WiMax effort

Friday, February 15, 2008 - 11:18 AM PST

Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle)

Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. may receive a $2 billion investment from Intel Corp. for the parties' potential WiMax joint venture, according to a published report Friday.

Despite the deal reported in TheStreet.com, which would create a company that combines Sprint's licenses in the 2.5-gigahertz wireless spectrum and Clearwire's spectrum, company officials on both sides refused to comment.

"Rumors are just kicking around again. It's rumor," Sprint spokesman John Polivka said. "We don't comment on rumors. There's nothing going on."

Added Intel spokesman Kari Aakre: "We're not commenting on any speculation. It's our policy to not comment on rumors."

WiMax, the high-speed wireless network that promises data connections three to five times faster than currently available, is now in "soft launch" with Sprint.

In Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Sprint employees have access to the WiMax network. The commercial launch is slated for the middle of the second quarter.

In November, Sprint and Clearwire canceled a joint deal to develop Sprint's $5 billion WiMax network.

Although not commenting on the latest reports, Aakre said Intel has enjoyed a relationship with Sprint and Clearwire during the past few years.

In July 2006, Intel invested $600 million in Kirkland-based Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR) to help accelerate deployment of WiMax in the United States. Likewise, in the middle of this year, Intel will provide the chips in laptop computers to enable them to be WiMax ready.

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/02/11/daily34.html?ana=from_rss