Clearwire ditches Rover pre-paid WiMAX service

It's been less than a year since it went live, but Clearwire has now officially dropped its Rover pre-paid WiMAX service, saying that it was simply a way to "test some new pay-as-you-go pricing options and was offered on a limited retail basis in a couple markets." As you may recall, the brand offered just two products -- the Rover Puck WiFi hotspot and a USB stick -- and it gave customers the ability to purchase 4G WiMAX service on a daily, weekly or monthly basis starting at just $5 a day. As a Clearwire spokesperson explains to FierceWireless, however, the company is not giving up on pre-paid options altogether, and says that it's own new no-contract plans "should meet the needs of most of the Rover customer base."