FreedomPop launches free home wireless to compete with low-end DSL

arstechnica.com

16 points·iProject··4 comments

My understanding is that Cleawire is repurposing their spectrum for LTE. isn't that a zero sum game ? Are these guys (technically) legitimate or are they just trying to milk the last cents out of an already obsoleted Wimax infrastructure ?

BTW, I've used Clear for 6 months about two years ago in the DFW area & my experience was nothing short of horrendous.

They're technically legit. I have one of their Sleeve Rocket devices for the iPod Touch 4 and it works identically to the Clearwire WIMAX service I have at home. I have no idea what happens when their infrastructure switches to LTE. Now with Dish/Echostar getting spectrum and maybe making a deal, I think the switchover is going to be on hold for a bit.

I've had better experience with Clearwire, mainly because I'm about 500 yards from a tower and don't use a mobile device at home. Their signal really fades in and out as you go mobile with this Freedompop device. I wouldn't rely on it for 100% service if you're trying to replace a phone with a cheap iTouch.

The problem I see is that it says 10GB for $10 a month. If you have DSL from AT&T you get 150GB for about $30 a month. The same 150GB through FreedomPop would cost $150 a month. They're legit if you don't mind paying a premium.

Part of their business model is that you will willingly watch ads, signup for things, and do other kinds of stunts to earn more free bandwidth per month.

But I hear you. 1GB for a family DSL is just way too little data and I think most people will end up paying something over the $0 price. I think our household uses around 1GB of data a day, and we hardly use Youtube and don't have Netflix.

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