Intel aims to expand WiMAX frequency range support

While much of the world rallies around LTE, Intel's still doing its thang with WiMAX. According to Garth Collier, general manager of WiMax at Intel Asia-Pacific, the outfit is gearing up to "start supporting other markets outside of the US at 2.5GHz and in other spectrum profiles." As it stands, the Centrino 2 chip package supports a version of the technology that uses the 2.5GHz spectrum, and while Mr. Collier didn't specify which WiMAX profile would be added in 2009, deductive reasoning leads us to believe that 2.3GHz (used in South Korea) and 3.5GHz (used in Pakistan) are in the cards. Beyond that, details are few and far between, but we'd expect to hear something a bit more solid at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.

[Via InfoWorld, image courtesy of CNET]

[Bas @ Aug 19th 2008 7:45AM]

Really, the rest of the world is rallying around LTE now? Or is that just the trademark Engadget jaded dismissiveness of whatever suject it posts about?

[Josh @ Aug 19th 2008 11:37AM]

well, LTE *is* a GSM technology, and both Sprint and Verizon's 4G will be LTE, so with the rest of the world already on GSM, and the 2 biggest carriers outside Europe not using GSM switching, I'd say that's the rest of the world rallying around LTE.

Also, shouldn't Intel actually be providing any WiMAX service here in the US before they start expanding out to other countries?

[awake @ Aug 19th 2008 12:15PM]

Sprint is going Wimax, Verizon is going LTE. I wouldn't say the rest of the world is going LTE since ONLY the majority of the CARRIERS are going LTE, that does not include 3rd party (non carriers) businesses that use wireless transmissions for their business. Just about all of the computer manufacturers will be going with Wimax, especially since Intel is on board with Wimax. In America the financial industry, educational industry, Govt, petroleum industry, etc will all be using Wimax for wireless transmissions. Those industries already use CDMA for their wireless transmissions.

In a bit of irony ATT will be using Wimax for it's residential customers in rural areas.

[Jim A @ Aug 19th 2008 11:55AM]

If Intel is to be successful here they need to offer systems in the Under 2GHz range for WiMAX, preferably 700Mhz and possibly AWS (1700Mhz, 2100Mhz) areas. Of course this would require minimum of 20Mhz of spectrum and FDD based WiMAX products to be solid enough to compete with LTE 4G systems.
What I would anticipate is a tri mode Centrino product addressing LTE, WiMAX and WiFi (802.11n) systems. If Google etc are successful in freeing up the WHite Space market then Intel will need to provide something for that space (50Mhz to 700Mhz) as well.
2.5Ghz is just not right for all markets, especially Rural areas with any semblence of Foliage that will kill any mobile links.

[awake @ Aug 19th 2008 12:39PM]

Heres the deal, Asia was the first country to go live with CDMA in 1995, Sprint was very impressed so they decided to build a CDMA network and go live in 1996, all the nay sayers expected it to fail, it did not. Over the years CDMA has proven to be more reliable and secure than GSM. That is why the Govt is using CDMA for it's wireless transmissions. LTE has yet to make it out of a laboratory, LTE hasn't had any real world testing. Based on network reliability Intel will not incorporate LTE into it's chips. Wimax is like having CDMA on roids, LTE is basically a hi-end GSM network.

GSM networks in America are piggy-backed, they are basically build-ups of older networks, the same will be true for LTE, the CDMA network was built new from the ground up, same is true for Wimax.

[Jeff @ Aug 19th 2008 12:54PM]

Nice