Intel a year away from mobile WiMax

Intel shows off its next generation of UMPC, due in 2008

Martin Courtney in Beijing, IT Week 18 Apr 2007

Intel has announced that it will ship its first dual-mode Wi-Fi and WiMax chip in the second quarter of 2008, as part of its forthcoming Montevina platform aimed at mini-notebooks.

Also at the IDF show in Beijing, Intel confirmed the arrival of its Ultra Mobile platform 2007, codenamed McCaslin, the first example of which is Samsung’s Q1 Ultra. The company also showed the first public working demonstration of its next-generation ultra mobile PC platform (UMPC), codenamed Menlow and due in 2008.

“Why WiMax? Because it delivers cheaper solutions and better wireless internet performance – up to three times better download speeds than competing technologies,” said David Perlmutter, Intel's senior vice-president and general manager of the Mobility Group. “There were 10 WiMax trials in 2004, but that will grow to 400 trials and real system deployments in 2008, including carriers who will deliver WiMax solutions globally.”

Intel did not mention mobile bandwidth or whether Montevina-based devices would support existing 3G and HSDPA technology, but it is widely expected that WiMax will provide roaming users with download speeds of 2-4Mbit/s. The maximum available with current 3G and HSDPA technology is around 384Kbt/s, though 1.2Mbit/s is possible. The emergence of WiMax services also depends on the availability and licensing of wireless frequency spectrum, which varies from country to country.

WiMax and Wi-Fi will also inhabit a new generation of handheld PCs, due in 2008. The company showed off a prototype handheld system based on the Menlow platform and a 45nm “Silverthorne” chip, and running the Ubuntu Linux operating system. Intel estimates the platform can boost battery life by reducing CPU power consumption by a factor of 10 and overall system power consumption by a factor of four.

Anand Chandrasekher, Intel's senior vice-president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group, said that broadband wireless will free internet users from desktop PCs and wireless hotspots. Unlike other mobile devices, the new products will run standard desktop operating systems and applications rather than optimised platforms like Windows Mobile or Symbian.

“We need to deliver the internet’s richness of content in a handheld device, but that is not a phone. A phone is predominantly for a voice call, not for data or running applications,” Chandrasekher said.

In contrast to McCaslin, Menlow is designed from the ground up for ultra portable mobility and will deliver all the performance and scalability you would expect from a desktop in a pocket PC platform, Chandrasekher added.

A range of new devices based on McCaslin from Samsung, BenQ, Asus and ATC running a version of Windows Vista were also previewed, ranging from tablet devices to sliding keyboard and clamshell designs. The McCaslin platform is based on Intel A100 and A110 processors, the 945GU Express chipset and the ICH7H I/O controller hub.

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