December 2, 2008

imageQuite a few years ago I had some friends who got married but had family and friends that lived all over the country. To accommodate as many people as possible  they decided to have at least four separate wedding receptions. By the time the third one rolled around,, some of the glow of celebration had worn off.

The same might be said for what will now be called Clear, nee XOHM, nee simply Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network. With all the investments, trials,  JV rumblings and confirmations, a mega-7-way partnership and conquered regulatory hurdles, it feels like this is at least the fifth coming-out party for the first 4G network in the US.

By naming its service brand Clear — not to be confused with another company promoting expedience — the new Clearwire is adopting a brand that is simpler and more tangible as opposed to the abstract, Internet-evoking XOHM brand that barely had a chance to be promoted in the market. Well, at least it’s far less of a rebranding challenge than AT&T faced with Cingular.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , ,