Clearwire (CLWR) today announced the launch of its a developer version of 4G service in the Bay Area. The developer version of the WiMax-based network covers “more than 20 square miles” in Santa Clara, Mountain View and “parts of downtown” Palo Alto. (Parts? Downtown Palo Alto isn’t that big; it only cover parts of it?) Clearwire notes that the service area includes the headquarters of both Intel (INTC) and Google (GOOG); the Cisco (CSCO) campus will be adding “in the coming months.” All three companies will be
“partners” in the project, the company said.

Clearwire plans to launch full service in the Bay Area in 2010.

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It may be another month–at least–before officials at the Commerce and Agriculture Departments provide grant proposal details for companies and communities hoping to win some of the $7.2 billion set aside for broadband-stimulus funding, but some hopefuls are already beginning to pair up in hopes of increasing their chances of success.

The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, which represents 1,500 rural utilities and telecom providers, recently announced a deal with WiMAX provider DigitalBridge Communications, which offers high-speed wireless broadband service in rural areas. The rural utilities cooperative is pouring $10 million in funding into DigitalBridge in hopes that the company will help its members offer more wireless broadband services in rural areas–and potentially win some of the broadband stimulus funding.

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Clearwire (CLWR) isn’t the easiest company to analyze; still in a development stage, and now combined with the old Sprint Xohm business, trying to draw conclusions from the WiMax-based wireless carrier’s financial results is challenging, to say the least. But here’s what I can tell you about the company’s Q4 results, which were reported after the close:

• Pro forma revenues were $59.7 million, a bit below the Street consensus at $60 million.
• The company posted an adjusted EBITDA loss of $157.3 million.
• CLWR had 5,000 net subscriber adds in the quarter, and now has 475,000 total.
• ARPU rose to $39.70 a month, from $36.09.
• Churn bumped up to 2.8 percent, from 2.4 percent a year ago.
• But costs per gross add fell to $468, from $550.
• Clearwire now covers territory with 18.2 million people, up from 16.3 million a year ago.
• The company has $3.1 billion in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.

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Last week, President-elect Barack Obama’s call for a delay in the Digital TV transition, long scheduled for February, sent tech and telecom firms into a tizzy. Both Verizon (VZ) and the Consumer Electronics Association have been pushing back hard against any postponement of the move from analog to digital broadcasting, while AT&T (T) has joined the Consumers Union and several prominent Democratic legislators in supporting the call to give the troubled transition more time. Among those with a vested interest in the debate over a DTV delay is Clearwire (CLWR), which has been racing to deploy its 4G WiMAX networks ahead of competitors wedded to the LTE standard. And Ars has learned that Clearwire Executive Vice President R. Gerard Salemme has been playing a key advisory role on the DTV changeover within the Obama transition team. 

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The FCC voted 5-0 today to approve a plan to combine Sprint’s Xohm network with Clearwire’s (CLWR) own WiMax network. Investors in the newly combined company include Google (GOOG), Intel (INTC) and a group of cable companies.

According to the AP, the Justice Department has already indicated that it will allow the deal to proceed, but will continue to monitor it.

Both Sprint (S) and Clearwire today built on robust gains posted on Monday.

Sprint, which rose 87 cents yesterday, added 15 cents in today’s regular session, and has advanced another 42 cents to $4.57 after hours. That brings the two-day rally to $1.44, or 46 percent.

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Motorola (MOT) has reorganized its home and networks mobility unit into three units, in a move that could be a prelude to the sale of one or more of the pieces, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Journal says the three divisions will include one focused on cable set-top boxes and related gear for digital video, Internet-based video and modems; a second, which sells cellular networking gear; and a third focused on next-generation networks, including WiMax and LTE.

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When it comes to wireless broadband, WiMAX is one technology that has some bad juju. You have two of its premier proponents in the U.S., Clearwire and Sprint, riding leaky boats in rocky financial seas. You have LTE as a potential competitor, thanks to backing from AT&T and Verizon. And now there is a new report out that says that WiMAX causes interference with satellite communications transmitted in the C-Band frequency.

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