Clearwire Corp. unveiled a pay-as-you-go mobile-broadband service on Monday that uses its fourth-generation wireless network, as the company seeks to attract a new class of customers before rivals launch competing plans.
The service, called Rover, is launching in all of Clearwire’s 49 markets that offer its 4G wireless technology. With Rover, Clearwire is targeting 18- to 24-year-old customers who want to be constantly plugged into the Internet but don’t want to be locked into contracts.
The target customers “come to expect high-speed Internet whenever they connect,” Seth Cummings, a Clearwire general manager, said Monday.
The service costs $5 a day, $20 a week or $50 a month for unlimited 4G usage but requires the purchase of either a “puck,” a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that will support up to eight devices, costing $150, or a “stick,” which supports one device and costs $100.
