Top Innovators: Clearwire

John Saw, senior vice president and chief technology officer

By Nick horton | November 2010 | FROM THE PRINT EDITION

Credit: Photograph by Hayley Young

John Saw Clearwire, the Kirkland-based provider of wireless broadband services, has achieved a level of technology that is the envy of its competitors. The company’s high-speed Clear 4G network is accessible in 52 markets across the United States—markets that are home to 60 million people, collectively—and it is expanding to new cities almost weekly. Clearwire increased its subscribers by 231 percent from Q2 2009 to Q2 2010, and revenues grew by 93 percent in that same period.

The whiz behind Clearwire’s technology is John Saw, a 20-year industry veteran who first worked with AT&T Wireless. Saw played an important role in the development of AT&T’s first wireless broadband product, which set the stage for newer platforms like Clearwire’s. Saw joined Clearwire at the outset—he was the company’s second employee—and his background developing wireless networks has been instrumental in the company’s success.

Clearwire is not without its challenges, or challengers. Billionaire Philip Falcone and his Harbinger Capital Partners recently backed LightSquared, a rival mobile broadband service that’s now available in nine U.S. cities. But as Saw continues to lead the implementation of Clear 4G throughout the country, it’s hard to imagine Clearwire losing its place as a leader in next generation wireless systems.