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Introducing Rover, the Pay-As-You-Go 4G Mobile Broadband

by Terrence O'Brien on August 31, 2010 at 06:30 AM

Rover 4G Homepage
With everyone else trying to lock you into contracts, instituting data caps and jacking up prices, Clearwire's new Rover mobile broadband service seems like a breath of fresh air. The pay-as-you-go, contract-free 4G WiMAX service starts at $5 a day for access, with weekly and monthly passes available for $20 and $50, respectively. To use Rover, customers need either the Rover Stick USB modem ($99.99) or the Rover Puck mobile Wi-Fi hotspot ($149.99). Users will have access to download speeds up to 10 Mbps (although real-life speed will likely be under 6 Mbps), as long as they're in one of the 49 markets covered by the Clearwire 4G network. The Rover modems aren't capable of connecting to 3G networks, though, so, if you're outside the fairly limited coverage area (which doesn't include San Francisco or New York, cities ripe for the picking thanks to AT&T's reliability issues), you're out of luck.

Rover is clearly aimed at a younger, Web-addicted demographic. The Kin-level, cringe-inducing marketing materials make it clear the service is hoping the relatively low prices and lack of credit requirements will appeal to teens and debt-concerned 20-somethings. Like pay-as-you-go cell phone services, customers purchase "re-up" cards in $20 or $50 amounts and aren't required to have a credit card or submit to a credit check before signing up. Rover gear will be available at Clear stores and Best Buy locations in markets with Clearwire's WiMax.

Tags: 4g, clearwire, ClearwireCorp, pay as you go, pay-as-you-go, PayAsYouGo, rover, top, wimax

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