Intel: Wireless Will Spur Growth

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Calling wireless "the next best thing," Intel Corp.s top wireless executives are promising lower-power enhancements that will extend the technology throughout the world.

Anand Chandrasekher, vice president and general manager of Intels Mobile Platforms Group, confirmed that the next generation of Intels Pentium M processor line, "Dothan," will ship in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Ron Smith, senior vice president and general manager of Intels wireless communications and computing group, described some of the lower power technologies Intel will incorporate in "Bulverde," the companys next wireless chip.

Both spoke on the second day of the Intel Developer Forum here.

When Intel launched its Centrino platform in March, executives promised 10,000 WiFi hot spots would be available. Today, over 21,000 Centrino-certified hot spots have been deployed, Chandrasekher said. "Were quite pleased with this," he said.

Intels assumption has been that mobile technology would expand outside the traditional "road warrior" class of consumers, and thats been happening, he said. Chandrasekher demonstrated technology that the company is developing to roam from wireless LAN to wireless WANs; the company is testing a pilot program in Asia to do just that.

"Its easier to tackle roaming from an international standpoint and then do it domestically," he said.

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