With FCC approval, a Sprint-Clearwire merger seems imminent. eWeek reported today of Sprint’s FCC approval; paving the way for the 2 companies to merge.
Clearwire, which has a history of blocking VoIP providers such as Vonage and voip.com, may not have the best reputation for early adopters.
With a history of non-net-neutrality, we would hope that Clearwire (and Sprint) both make active statements about the future of WiMax service with VoIP and the ability to choose your own provider.
We can remember helping troubleshoot many a VoIP issue with Clearwire customers affected by their blocking policies. When asked, “Why would Clearwire block Vonage but offer their own VoIP service?” we would simply say, “because they can.” Although these issues were mostly in the past (2006), we must remember that history is a great predictor.
Who doesn’t love a Simon and Garfunkel reference? Two months ago, media reports would have you believe that WiMAX was a dead goldfish floating in the Internet sea. Thankfully, WiMAX disagrees and rises like a Phoenix.