Clearwire aligns with Cisco for WiMAX

Today, mobile WiMAX operator Clearwire announced that its core infrastructure provider for the Clear 4G mobile WiMAX network moving forward will be Cisco.

Scott Richardson, Chief Strategy Officer of Clearwire said, "By teaming with Cisco, one of the world's most forward-looking IP network infrastructure providers, we're building a robust and cost-efficient next-generation network that's designed specifically for delivering rich broadband services."

The plan for the two companies involves bringing mobile WiMAX to more than 80 US markets by the end of next year. Currently, Clearwire has built only a single WiMAX network of the two major deployments in the United States, and it was built on infrastructure provided by Motorola, which includes access points, gateways, and consumer premises equipment.

In fact, the very first mobile WiMAX 802.16e handoff took place in 2007 on Motorola's equipment (with WAP 400 access points.)

Even the Baltimore-based Sprint 4G network (nee Xohm) which was built using Samsung infrastructure includes consumer products made by Motorola.

Though Cisco is a networking veteran with a reputable name, it's a rookie in WiMAX equipment. The company hopes to produce its first mobile WiMAX device later this year.