Intel this week pledged to "solve in silicon" the incompatibilities between the mobile and fixed versions of WiMAX, the wireless broadband contender. According to Sean Maloney, the head of Intel"s Mobility Group, these two WiMAX modes are not the same.
How come? First, a recap. WiMAX is the brand name given to the 802.16 wireless broadband standard approved by the IEEE in 2002, and has updated almost annually since then. Revisions have eliminated the need for a line of sight, for example, and added support for more spectrum bands. The most recent version of the standard is 802.16-2004, approved last June, after the proposed 802.16d revision of the standard was formally accepted.