14 DAY TRIAL // Today, Best Buy and Clearwire announced the signing of a an agreement for the establishing of a strategic wholesale relationship aimed at offering Best Buy the possibility to use Clearwire’s 4G network to deliver mobile Internet services as part of its Best Buy Connect portfolio. According to the pair, starting with 2011, Best Buy will start offering a new 4G tier for the Best Buy Connect service, which was aimed right from the beginning towards the acceleration of mobile broadband adoption.
“Our strategic wholesale agreement with Clearwire will enable Best Buy Connect to leverage the Clearwire 4G network’s speed and bandwidth to deliver compelling new mobile broadband experiences for our customers,” said Jed Stillman, vice president of Best Buy Connect. “This agreement paves the way to providing one-stop shopping and support for mobile broadband as more people become more connected across all kinds of devices. We believe consumers will appreciate the added advantage of relying on Best Buy Connect for both 3G and 4G mobile broadband services beginning next year.”
According to the agreement between the two, Best Buy Connect is set to offer various 4G service options to its users, all of which would be based on the Clearwire network. The WiMAX-based network has been already launched in a wide range of cities around the United States, and it expected to arrive in many others more in the not too far future. Through Best Buy, customers can find the latest advancements in consumer electronics products and services, and the new partnership is meant to add into the mix 4G services for a wider range of people on Clearwire's mobile broadband network
Teresa Elder, president of strategic partnerships and wholesale at Clearwire, commented “This new agreement is particularly strategic for our ‘network of networks’ business model. Not only is this one of the first major wholesale agreements beyond our group of strategic investors, but it also demonstrates the interest in our network from companies outside of traditional service providers. We look forward to supporting Best Buy in the months and years ahead.”
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