{"id":654128,"date":"2013-04-24T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2013-04-24T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=633791"},"modified":"2013-04-24T09:00:57","modified_gmt":"2013-04-24T13:00:57","slug":"freedompop-goes-national-with-a-sprint-powered-mobile-hotspot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/654128","title":{"rendered":"FreedomPop goes national with a Sprint-powered mobile hotspot"},"content":{"rendered":"

FreedomPop has made national headlines for its \u201cfreemium\u201d take on mobile broadband service<\/a>, but it\u2019s never been able to offer a nationwide service. The reason is it\u2019s always been dependent on Clearwire\u2019s WiMAX network to connect its customers, and Clearwire only offers that connectivity to about a third of the country\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

But starting Wednesday FreedomPop is selling a new hotspot modem that connects to Sprint\u2019s nationwide CDMA EV-DO network. The modem will likely clock sub-megabit 3G speeds when on Sprint\u2019s network, but it will connect to any Clearwire tower when available. That allows FreedomPop to give its current customers nationwide coverage as well as market the service to customers outside of Clearwire\u2019s 80-city footprint.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve reported, FreedomPop eventually plans to tap into Sprint\u2019s new LTE network<\/a>, allowing it to wean itself off Clearwire\u2019s WiMAX systems (it will keep its home broadband service<\/a> with Clearwire though). According to CEO Stephen Stokols, FreedomPop will start selling an LTE-CDMA hotspot in about six months. He added that the mobile virtual network operator<\/a> (MVNO) wants to wait until Sprint builds up its LTE footprint before making the leap. Right now Sprint has 88 cities and towns under its LTE umbrella, but plans to make a big expansion push<\/a> this summer.<\/p>\n

\"FreedomPop<\/a>FreedomPop is only selling a hotspot, the Overdrive Pro<\/a>, on the new network. It\u2019s signature device, a sleeve modem designed to fit around the iPhone 4 and 4S is still AWOL, caught up in the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s testing process<\/a>. Stokols said he still holds out hope that the device will clear those tests soon. That\u2019s probably of little consolation to the customers who pre-ordered the device last May<\/a>, but Stokols said he\u2019s hoping that a belated approval will clear the path for an iPhone 5 sleeve later this year.<\/p>\n

Even without the Sleeve, FreedomPop has been growing rapidly as consumers latch onto its free 500 MB of monthly data<\/a> and its bandwidth sharing and earning features<\/a>, as well as its hotspots and iPod Touch sleeve, Stokols said. He wouldn\u2019t reveal exact subscriber numbers saying only the virtual carrier has \u201chundreds of thousands\u201d of customers. FreedomPop also plans to launch a voice service in the next few months<\/a> via a partnership with VoIP and IP messaging provider textPlus.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:<\/strong>
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial<\/a>.<\/p>\n