Intel and Clearwire, Craig McCaw"s wireless broadband services company, today announced they will jointly develop and deploy wireless broadband capabilities using WiMAX networks. As part of the collaboration, Clearwire intends to deploy WiMAX networks using wireless broadband equipment from NextNet Wireless (a Clearwire subsidiary) that includes future Intel silicon products. The joint development agreement with Clearwire is for future products supporting the upcoming IEEE 802.16e standard for WiMAX solutions found in both infrastructure equipment and notebooks. WiMAX is an emerging wireless standard that promises to provide high-speed broadband connectivity in both fixed and mobile wireless networks.
The agreement also involves a significant investment in Clearwire from Intel Capital, Intel"s strategic investment program. The investment is part of Intel Capital"s strategy to invest $150 million in wireless technology to help accelerate adoption of high-speed wireless networks worldwide. Specific financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. The collaboration with Clearwire is the next step in Intel"s continued development of WiMAX technology beyond "Rosedale," its upcoming wireless broadband chip for WiMAX products based on the IEEE 802.16-2004 standard (previously known as IEEE 802.16REVd). Rosedale is Intel"s first "system-on-a-chip" solution for cost-effective customer premise equipment (CPE) supporting that early standard.