Earthlink is set to begin offering mobile broadband service for people to use in their homes.
The goal is that it will be a replacement for the company’s traditional broadband plans. This could also bring high-speed Internet to users who might not be equipped to receive cable-powered Internet.
The mobile service will be powered by the Clearwire Wimax network when it first launches, but Clearwire is working on building its own LTE infrastructure, and as soon as that is up and running, Earthlink will tap into that.
Using mobile broadband for in-home Internet is nothing new. That was a goal of Clearwire from the beginning. And with MiFi devices and mobile-connected netbooks and tablets connecting seamlessly to mobile data, it’s clearly no longer for smartphones anymore.
Earthlink, however, is unique in that it is a traditional broadband provider rolling out this new kind of service. Other providers like Time Warner Cable have also tried offering similar packages to their customers, so they are clearly worried about mobile data invading their territory.
Pricing details for the new Earthlink service were not announced.
