While watching television tonight I saw an ad for Clearwire’s Clear service. Even though they are now in the Atlanta area, I’m unable to get service but it got me thinking about how disruptive it could be if it works as promised. It’s WiMax network allows for data and voice to be able to be carried over a wide area without needing to run wires to your house.
The idea makes me want to backpedal and say that internet connected HDTVs just might be able to work. To take the idea further, 4G for the home may enable people to trade in their cable television service from companies like Comcast, Cablevision and Time Warner for a simple cheaper solution.
At $29.99 for unlimited service at home you’d be able to plug the modem into the network connection in the back of some of the newer televisions available on the market today. From there, you’re able to tap into all of the features these televisions offer such as the ability to stream video from Amazon Unbox and Netflix. Pair this with an HDTV antennae to pick up on local stations and you have a compelling option and alternative to what people are using today in the mainstream.
The value proposition seems very strong but it’s still an untested idea. Clear’s service is only 2.0 Mb which may not be fast enough to allow you to watch Hulu or smoothly view a movie from Netflix. Also, there’s the question of if hundreds or even thousands of people use the service at the same time if the speed will degrade. These are things that people who have used cable have learned to deal with. Clear doesn’t make any mention of throlling users but that may be another area of concern.
It’s still going to be interesting to see how this plays out and Comcast’s investment in Clearwire may end up being a smack in the face if people opt to not pay for costly double and triple play packages.
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