Intel CEO says WiMAX is key to next generation of Internet

Intel CEO says WiMAX is key to next generation of Internet

In a keynote speech at the International Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas yesterday, Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini drew a vivid picture for the next generation of the Internet. “We’re now in the midst of the largest opportunity to redefine consumer electronics and entertainment since the introduction of the television,” Otellini said. “Increasingly, computing and communications are coming together, bringing a new level of capabilities and intelligence to the Internet experience.”

The key to the next generation Internet experience is “in your pocket” Personal Broadband. This evolution, he said, will create business opportunities for “those who embrace it.”

The prime enablers for this (r)evolution are the microprocessors that will drive smaller and more intelligent devices, and connectivity through WiMAX.

Intel has already stated that it is set to deliver WiMAX-enabled notebooks in 2008 using their Montevina platform, which is an upgrade from the old Centrino mobile platform. It is also possible that Intel will include WiMAX capabilities as an option in the low-power processor and chipset platform codenamed “Menlow,” which is designed for mobile Internet devices, and slated to ship in the first half of this year.

These devices, coupled with WiMAX connectivity, will put an end to the “go-to” Internet era we know today, where we must find a connection, connect to a service, use a search engine, and jump through other hoops just to find what we are looking for.

In the next generation of the Internet, it will react “to our requests rather than anticipating them,” Otellini said. “Instead of going to the Internet, the Internet is going to come to us.”

Otellini said he is confident that WiMAX can power a global Internet network, as the technology is ready to be deployed today. He predicted that nearly 150 million people will be connected via WiMAX by the end of this year, and that 250 million people will be covered by WiMAX by the end of 2010.

“As the Internet becomes more powerful, more connected, more natural, more personal, more and more industries are going to be transformed. Why? Very simply more people are going to demand a seamless experience regardless of the activity, location or device that they use.”