Time Warner Cable Modem Service Requirement for WiMax Service Defeats the WiMax Purpose

DSLreports.com provides a nice concise summary of Time Warner’s WiMax (wireless broadband) offering (a reselling of Clear/Clearwire service)…

Time Warner Dallas Customers Get WiMax December 1

But, here’s the thing. I think Time Warner’s offering defeats the whole purpose of WiMax as a wireless broadband alternative to wired broadband like cable and DSL. All of Time Warner’s WiMax offering (they call it Mobile 4G) requires a subscription to their wired cable service. This makes sense from a business point of view. But, it does not from a customer’s point of view. And, then, look at their price tiers!

$79.95 per month for WiMax plus Sprint’s 3G network. And, oh yes, you need to be a Roadrunner cable subscriber
$49.95 per month for just WiMax. And, yes, you need to have cable modem service from them to quality
$39.95 per month for just WiMax with a 2GB data cap (the other services provide unlimited data – I wonder if this means 5GB?). And, oh, you need to subscribe to TWO Time Warner cable services

Time Warner’s 4G rollout is scheduled for January 2010 in my area with the same price structure in effect. I may give some thought to the WiMax-only service for $49.95 per month if it is truly unlimited and not capped at 5GB per month. Otherwise, I’ll wait to see what Verizon charges for 3G tethering to my Droid phone.

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