Nokia, Intel scrap 3G chip for notebooks
The companies last September announced plans to work on a fast cellular networking chip for PCs, but that call has been dropped.
"We have, together with Intel, canceled the HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access) module cooperation in the form we formerly announced," said Nokia spokeswoman Eija-Riitta Huovinen.
Intel confirmed the cancellation of the project, which would have integrated a cellular wireless chip directly onto the Santa Rosa platform the company is planning to launch in the first half of this year. Santa Rosa is the latest update to Intel's Centrino brand, which it uses to describe a collection of notebook technology including a processor, chipset, and Wi-Fi chip.
Nokia and Intel had announced last September at the Intel Developer Forum that they were working on a HSDPA module that would allow notebook users to access the Internet over cellular data networks. This is nothing new; PC companies have been selling integrated cellular wireless PC chips inside notebooks for some time.
Analysts have predicted that as cellular networking speeds increase, business travelers will latch onto the 3G cards as a way of staying connected to the office in any location with a cellular signal. However, Nokia and Intel each said they didn't think they would realize enough of a return on their investment to make the project work.
Both companies also said they are evaluating future uses of cellular networking technology inside notebook PCs. But Intel is also one of the primary backers of a fast wide-area networking technology known as WiMax. Sprint has said it will build a WiMax network as part of its upgrade to fourth-generation wireless technology.
Reuters contributed to this report.