The commencement of Clearwire’s commercial WiMax service – called ‘Clear’ - in South Florida on Monday marks the first time that the company has set foot in a new market without either opening retail stores or buying local advertising.

In South Florida, Clearwire will be offering the service in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables and some other cities; and consumers will have to purchase devices as well as sign up for service by phone or online.

In addition to launching the ‘Clear’ service in South Florida, Clearwire Monday also introduced the service in the Los Angeles area and in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.

In these markets, the ‘Clear’ service will be advertised by the company; and customers will be able to purchase devices and services from Clearwire’s retail partners like Best Buy and RadioShack, and from dedicated Clear stores or kiosks.

According to Clearwire spokesman Mike DiGioia, the most recent network launches expand Clearwire’s reach to nearly 103 million US residents in 68 markets. While the South Florida coverage area and three big Ohio metropolitan areas encompass 3.8 million people each; the service in the Southern California reaches out to 11 million people.

Designed for use in homes, offices and on the move, the Clear service – starting at $35 a month for home service and $45 a month for a mobile plan - boasts speeds of 3M bps (bits per second) to 6M bps, with bursts over 10M bps.