The Path to MoMax

Intel and Motorola are getting together to promote the adoption of Mobile WiMax

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

November 1, 2005

1 Min Read
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{dirlink 2|39} and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) are getting together to promote the adoption of Mobile WiMax, part of a growing head of steam behind the portable specification.The pair have agreed to collaborate on specification and device interoperability for the technology, which should enable handoffs between base stations at vehicular speeds. It's not that surprising that the pair should decide to collaborate on such activities, since both are already working on mobile WiMax applications with {dirlink 5|171}. (See Sprint Picks Moto for WiMax.)

The companies may also be feeling the heat from Samsung Corp., which is aggressively promoting WiBro, the Korean version of mobile WiMax, as the future of the standard (See Sprint Preps WiBro Trial and Samsung Demos WiBro.)

Meanwhile, startups are prepping for the move to mobile WiMax by promising silicon that can be upgraded to support the 802.16e standard, which is the basis of mobile WiMax.

U.K.-based PicoChip Designs Ltd. is promising that software upgrades will be available for its chips, while rival chip startup Sequans Communications has a similar roadmap.

But some industry watchers question how much players can prepare in advance for the 802.16e specification, which hasn't been ratified yet, and the several different mobile WiMax profiles that are expected to be derived from that specification.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung

About the Author

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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