Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »
Public Council Teleconference: Application Rationalization — Hidden Costs and Smart Decisions
November 17 at 11:00 am US/Eastern (GMT-5)
Join Honorio Padrón, of The Hackett Group, who will share the drivers for companies to tackle application rationalization and the results of research that define the hidden cost of complexity. Additionally, we will discuss key decision milestones—to start or not, holding the course steady and fulfilling expectations.
Virtual Desktop Cost-Benefit Analysis — Michael Jacobs, Catlin Group
The analysis contained in this presentation measures the cost of everything from the machines and licenses to the infrastructure for virtual vs. traditional desktop environments.
Honor your best senior team members - Apply for the CIO Ones to Watch Award
Get well-earned public recognition for your top up-and-coming team members, your IT organization and your enterprise. Award winners will be announced, publicized and feted in May 2010, great timing to help attract new IT recruits to your company.
Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »January 07, 2009 — IDG News Service —
Financial charges taken by both Intel and Time Warner Cable on Wednesday put the spotlight on the tough prospects for Clearwire, the company that aims to build a national mobile broadband network using WiMax technology.
Intel, the biggest backer of the fledgling technology, said it will take a non-cash charge of US$950 million [m] to its fourth-quarter earnings, which are due to be announced Jan. 15. The announcement came as part of a warning that Intel will miss its revenue forecast for the quarter, which had already been adjusted downwards once before.
Also on Wednesday, Time Warner Cable said it expects to incur a charge of $350 million from its Clearwire investment on its fourth-quarter results. Time Warner was one of three cable companies that joined with Google to invest a total of $3.2 billion in Clearwire last May. Cable giant Comcast, which also participated in that deal, plans to take a charge of its own, according to reports published Wednesday.
Clearwire absorbed Sprint Nextel's WiMax network business as part of the May agreement, which closed late last year. As the deal was concluded, Clearwire said it had received the $3.2 billion investment. The cable operators plan to resell Clearwire service as a mobile complement to their wired offerings.
But the meltdown in financial and credit markets last year added yet another weight to an already heavy burden for Clearwire.
The company, which began as a wireless broadband service provider using pre-WiMax equipment, is attempting to build a network that would compete against both AT&T and Verizon in both the home broadband and mobile data arenas. Between Sprint's earlier buildout and Clearwire's own mobile WiMax system, which formally launched Tuesday in Portland, Oregon, there are just two cities served by the technology today. The funding the company has received to date is not expected to be enough to pay for the entire national buildout.
Numerous delays surely haven't helped Clearwire's stock, which has plummeted from more than $16 per share in February 2008 to a close of $4.98 on Wednesday. The falling price of the shares has impaired the value of its partners' investments.
Intel and the cable partners, which also include Bright House Networks, are likely to stand behind Clearwire for at least the next year or so, despite any financial pain they may suffer, industry analysts said. Intel, for one, is pushing hard to get WiMax integrated into laptops alongside Wi-Fi. But between fast wired broadband and 3G, plus the emerging LTE (Long-Term Evolution) fast mobile standard, Clearwire faces plenty of challenges.