Intel funding ISP's Wi-Max plans
Intel likes wireless enough to pay other people to do it.
John Borland Staff Writer, CNET News.com
John Borland
covers the intersection of digital entertainment and broadband.Intel Capital has given Speakeasy, a Seattle-based broadband ISP, an undisclosed amount of money to help roll out Wi-Max wireless broadband services. Intel has been one of the biggest boosters for Wi-Max, hoping its success with WiFi chips can be replicated as the new long-range technology becomes more popular.
Other ISPs are looking closely at the technology too. Recent Federal Communications Commission decisions have made it increasingly difficult for independent ISPs to offer service using telephone companies' DSL lines or cable companies' networks, and so they're desperately scrambling for a role in the broadband future.