Intel and Clearwire, wireless pioneer Craig McCaw’s wireless broadband services company, are collaborating to jointly develop and deploy WiMAX wireless broadband technology, the companies divulged this week at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment event in San Francisco. Since last summer, Intel, Clearwire and Clearwire subsidiary NextNet engineers have been working together to develop, test and deploy WiMAX base stations and customer premises equipment designed and built by NextNet Wireless based on Intel silicon.
As part of the deal, Clearwire intends to deploy WiMAX networks using that wireless broadband equipment from NextNet Wireless including 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.
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 premises equipment supporting that early standard.
As for Clearwire, the company in August launched its first broadband wireless network in Jacksonville, Fla. The network, which is based on NextNet technology, is a precursor to upcoming WiMAX networks. It provides high-speed broadband wireless service throughout most of the greater Jacksonville area.
