eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Intel announced its intent on Wednesday to develop chips to support WiMAX, the wireless broadband solution known as 802.16a.
The long-standing chip company announced its intentions to endorse the standard by developing complimentary standard hardware products in conjunction with Alvarion, a wireless infrastructure provider. Intel representatives explained that the company hopes to bring 802.16a — wireless broadband — to a wider audience at a more affordable price by standardizing the accompanying hardware production.
“Intel has been a leader in establishing WiMAX and getting it to where it is,” said Margaret LaBrecque, president of the WiMAX association and a marketing manager for Intel. “With the new chips, we hope to bring access to people who otherwise cannot get broadband and make it an economically feasible option.”
802.16a is a broadband technology that is complimentary to currently marketed 802.11 WiFi products, which are designed for networking over distances of tens or hundreds of feet. Like 802.11, 802.16a is a wireless technology, but one designed to be used outdoors and over distances of several miles. In proponents minds, this makes it a viable solution to the “last mile” issue — the inability to get service from the main national broadband backbones to individual users due to distance.
For the whole story, check out the ExtremeTech article