Clearwire itself is testing LTE in a trial that it expects to conclude around the middle of this year, according to Chief Technology Officer John Saw. He declined to discuss the timing of a possible rollout but said Clearwire would make the decision jointly with its wholesale partners.

The company's WiMax network now reaches approximately 130 million U.S. residents, Stanton said. He expects Clearwire to finish the year with 9.5 million total subscribers, including retail and wholesale.

In after-hours trading late Wednesday, Clearwire (CLWR) shares were up $0.04 at $5.16.

The IDG News Service