Intel wants to win with WiMax
A great deal of hype has surrounded WiMax over the last few years, but despite various big names backing the wireless technology worldwide rollout has been very slow.
Another consideration for many operators is to wait for mobile WiMax (802.16 e) – something that may hinder companies from investing in current fixed WiMAX (802.16 d) equipment.
With the backing from large companies like Nokia, Motorola, Nokia and Siemens many observers however feel that it is merely a matter of time before the technology takes off, similar to WiFi.
Interoperability
Interoperability remains a cornerstone for the success of WiMax, and it is here that Intel is now trying to make progress.
In an effort to ensure that mobile WiMAX wireless products work well together and with other products globally, Intel Corporation, Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks today announced that they are testing interoperability across Intel's forthcoming WiMAX silicon for laptops and mobile Internet devices, Nokia WiMAX devices and Nokia Siemens Networks WiMAX infrastructure equipment.
Nokia also said it will use Intel's WiMAX silicon product, which is codenamed "Baxter Peak" and designed specifically for mobile Internet and consumer electronic devices, in its forthcoming Nokia Nseries Internet Tablets. The Internet tablets will be among the very first WiMAX-enabled open Internet devices expected to ship in 2008.
"WiMAX enables the mobile Internet and makes it possible to get content on a variety of new mobile devices at broadband speed, and our Baxter Peak solution is designed specifically for these exciting new devices," said Raviv Melamed, general manager of Intel's Mobile Wireless Group.
"Intel, Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks all recognize our collective responsibility in ensuring that people can take full advantage of WiMAX. Simply put, the infrastructure behind the networks and the devices that access those networks must work together seamlessly."
Mobile WiMAX is a broadband wireless technology that provides multi-megabit speed, great throughput for accessing large amounts of such data as movies and multi-media content, and wide range to access the data over long distances.
"WiMAX will translate into people being able to take their favorite Internet experiences — be it watching videos, streaming music or doing research on the Internet — on the go without compromising on quality," said Ari Virtanen, Vice President, Nokia Multimedia.
Intel, Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks have already started testing their equipment and devices with dozens of other equipment vendors' products for interoperability and conformance with industry standards in Sprint's Herndon, Va. testing labs.
Nokia Internet Tablets to Become WiMAX-ready
The Nokia Nseries Internet Tablets are designed to provide a rich Internet experience on a new innovative multimedia computer platform that is small enough to fit into the pocket.
The Internet-savvy audience targeted features include a full, familiar Internet experience, powered by Mozilla based browser, e-mail functions and support for many popular applications, such as the previously announced Skype and Rhapsody.
Nokia Nseries Internet Tablets are based upon the open source Linux operating system, to enable both Nokia and Intel's vision of the "open Internet" — delivering broadband Internet experience to users on the go. In 2008, this platform with Intel's Baxter Peak WiMAX silicon will work on the Sprint Xohm WiMAX network.
Based on the same WiMAX baseband silicon found in Intel's "Echo Peak" MiniCard module for laptops and ultra-mobile devices, Baxter Peak is optimized for small form factors and low power consumption. It also includes multiple input/multiple output antenna techniques, supporting better reception and faster throughput in challenging environments.
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