Clearwire Belgium is planning to introduce a commercial LTE network before the end of the year, DataNews reported. The operator also plans to launch value-added services.

The Belgian operations of Clearwire, as well as unit Mac Telecom, were sold in May to TechMax, a Belgium company owned by Max Heilbron. Heilbron explained that Clearwire has a Belgian 3.5 GHz license, that can be used to provide 4G LTE, a standard TD LTE such as is being tested by Datang in Belgium. Clearwire has 130 operational antennas in Belgium. Contracts have been signed for 170 more sites. The operator is currently active in Louvain, or Leuven, Brussels, Hal, Alost, Vilvorde and Ghent, a coverage of 1.2 million people in the country.

Heilbron wants to reach a 40 percent coverage of the population as soon as possible. "But full coverage would cost us too much time and money for the moment," he added. VoIP supplier 3StarNet, another company owned by Heilbron, is currently testing Datang TD-LTE on four sites in Belgium, including one in Wallonia and three in Brussels. The site in Mons is already operational. Datang is planning to soon deploy TD LTE with another player, probably China Mobile, via 2.6 GHz. Heilbron does not see any conflict of interest however. "Datang supplies hardware. If the company can sell hardware to Clearwire for 3.5 GHz, it will probably do that. And also, Datang would be able to use our sites to deploy their own network,“ Heilbron said.

Clearwire could form a co-company with either Datang or another player, but whether it does or not, i will launch LTE services in Belgium, Heilbron concluded.