FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Clearwire Launches Wireless Broadband Internet Service in St. Cloud

St. Cloud Is One of First Cities in the Nation to Receive This New Technology

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (Dec. 9, 2004) — Clearwire officially launched its wireless broadband Internet service in St. Cloud today when company and community leaders cut through a ribbon of coaxial cable and telephone cord following a breakfast meeting with a group of business and community leaders.

“St. Cloud now has a better choice for high-speed Internet service that’s simple, affordable and flexible,” said Bruce Sanders, general manager of St. Cloud for Clearwire. “Clearwire will break down the barriers of traditional broadband service, offering consumers high-speed Internet service without the wires,” said Bill Snoeberger, Vice President of rural markets for Clearwire. Snoeberger, St. Cloud city manager Mike Williams and Clearwire’s St. Cloud general manager Bruce Sanders then cut through the cables with several pair of large wire cutters.

Clearwire’s broadband Internet service uses licensed wireless spectrum to provide service through a wireless modem plugged into the user’s computer. This eliminates the need to be connected to traditional coaxial cable or telephone wires. The modem unit is manufactured by NextNet, a Clearwire subsidiary located in Bloomington. The company’s wireless broadband Internet service is now available to 22,000 homes in St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, St. Joseph, Albany and Avon. In addition, Clearwire has already started plans for service expansion in the Central Minnesota area.

The service is sold at several locations around town in addition to the Clearwire retail store at 50 10th Avenue South in Waite Park.

“Clearwire offers a whole new level of simplicity, affordability and flexibility to the consumer,” said Snoeberger. “You can buy the service at select local retailers, take it home, set it up and be online in minutes. It’s plug-and-play installation — no need for a technician to come into your home and no need to load software onto your computer to make it work.”

Clearwire drew national attention earlier this summer when it announced it would deploy wireless broadband technology in select markets across the country. Clearwire later announced the launch of commercial service in Jacksonville, Fla. in August of this year. The company is led by Craig McCaw, one of the early pioneers in providing cellular phone service in the U.S. in the early 1980s. His company, McCaw Cellular, grew to be the largest U.S. cellular service provider and was later acquired by AT&T.

In late October, computer chip maker Intel announced that it had made a “significant” investment in Clearwire, and that it was collaborating with the company to develop WiMax technology. WiMax offers greater range and speed than Wi-Fi, a wireless technology popular today in home and office networks.

It is estimated that at least 70 percent of residences in the U.S. do not currently subscribe to the Internet through a broadband connection because of cost or availability barriers. Clearwire plans an aggressive buildout throughout the United States to offer consumers a simpler, more flexible and cost-effective solution.

Tests of the radio receiver show Clearwire provides service at up to 1.5 million bits per second (Mbps), which is comparable to DSL service and 25 times faster than typical dial-up connections.

“Clearwire is ‘next-generation broadband’ that is available more simply and effectively to customers in St. Cloud today,” said Snoeberger. “St. Cloud has a good economic climate and is a community that is ready and eager to embrace new technology. It’s been described as one of the most “wired” cities in the country. We aim to change that claim, by making the city even more technologically capable through wireless. We’re excited to be launching this service here today and then rapidly expanding to other communities across the country.”

About Clearwire

Clearwire is a provider of reliable, wireless, high-speed broadband Internet service to consumers and small businesses. Clearwire is utilizing next-generation non-line-of-sight wireless technology, developed by its subsidiary company NextNet, to connect customers to the Internet using radio spectrum, thus, eliminating the confines of traditional cable or phone wiring. The tower transmits radio signals from a base site to a small, wireless modem, the size of a paperback book, which easily connects a user’s computer to the Internet. For more information, visit www.clearwire.com