Clearwire no longer exists. It sold wireless broadband on a WiMAX network, and Sprint switched that network off in 2015.
Clearwire is gone
Sprint finished buying Clearwire on July 9, 2013 and shut down the WiMAX network in November 2015. Clearwire sold data service only, not voice.
If you had a Clearwire modem
Devices on the WiMAX network stopped working when it closed, including 9-1-1 access. Sprint offered affected customers a free LTE-capable device and let them keep their plan if it was still offered.
How Clearwire ended
- 1998: Clearwire Technologies, the company behind the later Clearwire, dates to 1998.
- August 26, 2004: Clearwire’s first market, Jacksonville, went live.
- July 9, 2013: Sprint closed its buyout of Clearwire at $5.00 per share in cash.
- November 2015: Sprint turned off the WiMAX and Clearwire Expedience networks.
The history of Clearwire
Clearwire built a WiMAX network, a wireless broadband technology, and sold data plans over it. After Sprint bought the company in 2013, Sprint kept the network running for more than two years, then shut it down in November 2015. Customers who still used WiMAX devices had to switch to LTE-capable hardware.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified Clearwire
Best Cellular tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this Clearwire page comes from at least two independent sources, listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. Clearwire counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Clearwire
Is Clearwire still around?
No. Sprint bought Clearwire in 2013 and shut down its WiMAX network in November 2015.
What network did Clearwire use?
WiMAX, a wireless broadband technology. It is not the same as the LTE networks used today.
Did Clearwire offer phone service?
No. Clearwire was a wireless broadband provider.
What happened to Clearwire customers in 2015?
Their WiMAX devices stopped working. Sprint offered a free LTE-capable device and let customers keep their plan if it was still offered.
Does BestCellular.com list Clearwire as an active carrier?
No. We track Clearwire as a defunct carrier. It counts toward our tracked total but not our active total.
Sources and verification
Facts checked October 11, 2026 against at least two independent sources:
- Funding Universe: Clearwire company history: company history.
- Light Reading: A Clearwire timeline: launch and timeline.
- Sprint SEC filing, July 2013: the buyout closing.
- Engadget: Sprint finishes the Clearwire acquisition: the July 9, 2013 close.
- Technical.ly: Clear 4G network shutdown: the 2015 shutdown notice.
Best Cellular. “Clearwire: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/clearwire/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.