One of the main reasons for getting CLEAR WiMAX internet service as of today, is most likely the attractiveness of getting a connection all around town while out and about. Increased mobility is the name of the game these days, especially with the popularity of smartphones such as the iPhone, Blackberry, and now Droid. Let's face it, data plans on 3G networks are still rather pricey, and it's not always easy to find a hotspot when you're on the go and need to get online. There's also something to be said about powering up the laptop or netbook, pluggng in a USB modem, and getting an instant internet connection in most areas of the city. Is it possible for CLEAR to stir up enough interest in "Super Fast Mobile Internet" to pay its way for current and future infrastructure, and then become profitable at some point in time? I would say yes, BUT...

...the customer experience has to come first and it's not just about mobility. The Pick 2 plan that CLEAR offers is an extremely good offer. In most places, you can get residential service and mobile service for around $55 a month. Now that's about the same cost as cable or dsl home service by itself, and much less than having one of those and a data plan with a 3G carrier for your mobile needs. For CLEAR to keep a steady stream of new users coming through the door, and not have a high churn rate, they need to ensure that they can stand out in a crowd of ISP companies, all looking to attract the same fixed number of consumers in a given market. In CLEAR's case, a lot of that business is going to have to come from conversions of already established cable and dsl users.

So, what's it going to take to get people to sign up. I've done a bit of research on WiMAX and 4G technology, and while I'm no self professed expert, I have paid attention to what some of the grumblings have been about the WiMAX service so far. I've also seen one example of where WiMAX technology seems to be enjoying a phonomenal growth rate, and has already allowed its operator to breakeven on the income statement. Yota, the Russian WiMAX operator, has reached the breakeven point only 5 months after introducing the service. Although, there is not as much competition for broadband overall in Yota service areas, they have concentrated on giving the customer a much greater arsenal of devices and services than what CLEAR has to offer today. A quick look at their website (in English) reveals this customer centric mentality.

Now, I'm sure that CLEAR has some great roadmaps centered around what they believe it's going to take to win over the U.S. consumer and become a major player in the ISP game. Since I've not seen the roadmap, I'm just going to list a few things that I (and others) think CLEAR needs to improve upon, or introduce in order to keep the ball rolling in the right direction. These are all a result of paying attention to what's being said out there, and experience with my own CLEAR home, mobile, and voice service.

1How about a WiMAX enabled phone or maybe a WiMAX security camera? There's no toys for me to play with yet, except the Mondi, and I don't have room to carry another (expensive) device just to surf the internet.

2Allow the Motorola home modems to be set up in bridge mode. For those of us with already established home networks, another NAT, DHCP server, and firewall can break an already good set up.

3Come up with an outdoor antenna offering that will give those on the fringe areas, and those with energy efficient windows the ability to still stream Netflix videos, and play Xbox online.

4Offer a home modem that incorporates FXS ports for voice service, a couple of extra ethernet ports, and maybe a built in Wi-Fi. Motorola and other equipment suppliers already have this capability, and it's being offered in other WiMAX             markets.

5A Wi-Fi hotspot that doesn't need two pieces joined together to make one. Yes, the Clear Spot is nice, but I like the Yota Egg better.

6Stop blocking port 80. Although, it's common for some ISPs to do this, it's frusrating to some customers, and a deal breaker. Not all home servers are bittorrent servers.

7Combine your internet sites. Having CLEAR, Clearwire, and Clear365 is very confusing. Need to differentiate CLEAR from Clearwire service.

8Add a "tower search" feature to your website. Many customers order online and have no idea where to start when setting up the residential modem. If they know that the closest tower is NorthEast of their location, and 1.8 miles, at least they know which side of the house to start on.

9Provide a softphone for a laptop or netbook that works with the home voice. This would mean the allowance of multiple SIP registrations, but it can be done, and gives the capibility of using CLEAR Voice at home or on the road (without carrying your ATA).

10Understand that IPTV is probabaly the next big thing in how and where television shows are watched. Be Prepared. An internet service that doesn't handle this well will quickly be replaced by one that will.

So far, my CLEAR service has been rock steady since day one, both home and mobile. Luckily, I'm close to a tower, (1.8 miles) and this tower seems to be working very well. I'm a VoIP guy, and I do want some WiMAX toys that will work with VoIP, but I know they're coming, and I can wait. Meanwhile, I'm still playing around with various network combinations to see what works best in different situations such as gaming and streaming video.

Now, I probabaly left out issues or wishes that others have experienced or been thinking about, but then, that's what the comment section is for.