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What might happen Next(el) |
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Friday, 22 February 2008 |
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Rumours have Sprint and Clearwire kissing and making up with Intel as mobile WiMAX matchmaker…
Media speculation is mounting that chip giant Intel is planning to play matchmaker and resurrect a form of the abandoned US mobile WiMAX network sharing alliance between Sprint Nextel and Clearwire (for more on that failed romance, click). The idea now is apparently that Intel would participate in a US$2bn joint venture that would take control of the WiMAX spectrum currently owned by the two operators. Intel’s supposed motive is to shore up its considerable investments in the technology.
The case for the prosecution notes that Intel has already invested in Clearwire, and that its investment arm Intel Capital continues to fund mobile WiMAX start-ups in different locations. Last week, for example, the chip maker announced that it had signed an agreement to make a ‘substantial investment’ in
UK based FREEDOM4 Ld, formerly known as Pipex Wireless Limited. Pipex Communications PLC will also join Intel Capital in that investment. “Intel Capital is a major investor in WiMAX technology and is committed to accelerating the deployment of open-standards mobile broadband around the world,” commented Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital.
And in another mobile WiMAX development the WiMAX Forum has announced that the first group of mobile WiMAX products submitted for certification at its lead laboratory AT4 in
Spain is currently being under test for protocol conformance testing, radio conformance testing and interoperability testing according to the WiMAX Forum Certification Requirements. The Forum says both base station and CPE are under certification testing for the 2.3GHz and 2.5GHz profiles.
John Williamson |
