Clearwire, AOL Team Up for Broadband Service

Clearwire, a provider of broadband Internet access based on WiMax-like technology, announced on Thursday that it has teamed up with AOL to offer co-branded broadband services, called “AOL High Speed—Powered by Clearwire,” The Seattle Times reports.

Clearwire, which is backed by wireless entrepreneur Craig McCaw, competes with providers of traditional DSL and cable Internet, according to The Times; however, its service is different because users can access it wirelessly via a small modem wherever a signal is detected.

Clearwire will continue to offer the broadband service online, through stores owned by the company and via Best Buy retail stores, as well as through AOL, the Times reports.

At first, the service will be available only to customers residing in Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Fla., and Stockton and Modesto, Calif., according to the Times.

It’s unclear whether the broadband service will be offered in any of Clearwire’s additional 30 U.S. markets, the Times reports.

Joe Redling, AOL’s Access Business president, told the Times, “Clearwire’s wireless high-speed service brings a differentiated offering to AOL members moving to broadband. This innovative approach to broadband access offers consumers additional levels of freedom and flexibility.”

The news of the partnership comes shortly after AOL acknowledged that it had lost 835,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2006. For more, read AOL Says Goodbye to 835K Subscribers.

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