Intel joins in Clearwire’s new wireless technology

In an effort to create a global wireless alternative to cable Internet service, Intel said on Monday that it would collaborate with Clearwir...

In an effort to create a global wireless alternative to cable Internet service, Intel said on Monday that it would collaborate with Clearwire, a wireless broadband company, in developing and deploying the new technology.

The companies said Intel would make a “significant” investment in Clearwire, which is building long-range wireless networks around the world.

Clearwire, founded by Craig O. McCaw said in August it had raised $160 million from 23 investors in a private stock transaction.

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The companies

are betting that a new wireless technology called WiMax–which is intended to extend the reach of wireless networks by permitting a single transceiver to connect hundreds of customers to the Internet—will succeed where other long-range wireless technologies have failed.

Intel is spending $150 million to jump start WiMax technology by creating a series of new chips designed to support the WiMax standard.

Clearwire recently began offering wireless Internet service in Jacksonville, for about $25 a month. During a news conference on Monday, McCaw said Clearwire was moving more quickly to deploy the service in major cities in Canada and Mexico. The company said it could be in as many as 20 US markets .

Intel executives said on Monday they believed that by creating a single global standard for WiMax technology, wireless access could become an alternative to digital subscriber lines and cable. —NYT