Of the major cable operators, Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CCMM) is one of the few that has yet to articulate a wireless strategy. But this week in its first earnings call after emerging from bankruptcy, chief marketing officer Ted Schremp held out one possibility: ”We’re keeping a keen eye on peers that are working with alternatives such as Clearwire. We maintain the flexibility and the opportunity to join that if and when we so desire.”
And if not Clearwire, there are other possible matches. Schremp continued: “We have the opportunity to have a wholesale relationship with not only Clearwire but certainly could pursue that with other providers.”
Charter and Cox Communications stayed on the sidelines as Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC), (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and Bright House Networks joined Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) in investing $3.2 billion in Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR), guaranteeing them access to the WiMax provider’s 4G mobile broadband network. Cox has a wireless strategy of its own having bought spectrum in the last to FCC auctions and plans to launch its own CDMA network this year and a future long-term evolution network. Charter, however, has remained mum until now. While Clearwire is focusing on its investor partners for its first MVNOs, it has said on numerous occasions it welcomes all comers for future MVNO deals, meaning Charter wouldn’t necessarily have to be an investor to use the Clearwire network.
That would be great! All charter need to do is to add an icon for ClearWire under the following website:
http://roguelink.charter.com
Note: but they will have to learn not to steal clients from their own distributors! Clearwire does not do that.