Clearwire Corp said on Friday that it is planning a pay-as-you-go service, representing a new customer segment for the high-speed wireless service provider.

The company, which is majority-owned by Sprint Nextel, currently focuses on so-called postpaid services where consumers pay a flat monthly fee for wireless data services for laptop computers.

Clearwire declined to give more details in following a statement flagging a conference call on Monday morning.

Bigger rival AT&T Inc recently started offering tiered service pricing instead of flat monthly fees for unlimited data services.

Clearwire is the first U.S. service provider to offer fourth-generation wireless services but its biggest rival, Verizon Wireless, is expected to follow suit with a 4G service later this year. Verizon Wireless is a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc.

(Reporting by Sinead Carew; Editing by Gary Hill)

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