Samsung Electronics and its U.S. partner Clearwire are set to expand their latest mobile wireless service based on WiMAX technology to two additional U.S. cities, Samsung said Friday.

The latest move will allow users in Dallas and Fort Worth, the third and fifth largest cities in the U.S. state of Texas, to have access to the next generation broadband service, which enables connection to the high-speed Internet even in fast moving transportation.

Samsung has supplied equipment to Clearwire, the Kirkland, Washington-based WiMAX service provider, which launched services in Baltimore and Philadelphia in September 2008. Clearwire aims to build a WiMAX network in 25 U.S. cities to reach over 30 million people by the end of this year.

“The number of WiMAX subscribers in the U.S. is expected to rise sharply from next year, when the service will kickstart in Washington D.C. and New York City,” said Kim Woon-sub, who heads the Samsung’s mobile network business.

Clearwire said earlier this month that it has secured US$1.56 billion in investment to allow further growth. Its investors include Sprint Nextel, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Google, and Intel.

WiMAX, which stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is largely backed by cable companies. WiMAX is in competition with long-term evolution (LTE), another next generation mobile broadband technology that major phone companies are in support of. Samsung currently provides equipment for both WiMAX and LTE services.

YonhapNewsAgency

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