14 DAY TRIAL // Santa Clara, California-based Intel, the world's leading vendor of computer processors, is said to be planning the release of a new, wireless chipset that will enable future laptops to support three versions of WiMAX, namely that of 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz. According to a recent report, the company plans to launch the new, wireless solution with its upcoming Calpella and Arrandale notebook platforms, which are currently scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2010. The new chip is dubbed Kilmer Peak and will further expand the WiMAX support provided by the company's current solution.
According to a recent report on PC Advisor, the upcoming Kilmer Peak chipset will enable OEMs to build computer systems that are featured with support for 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz WiMAX versions. This will be a step up from the company's current WiMAX chipsets, which can only enable support for the 2.5GHz version that is used in markets like Japan, the US and Taiwan. The 2.3GHz profile is being employed by operators in South Korea and Malaysia, while the 3.5GHz version is available in Pakistan.
WiMAX, which stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a network technology that offers wireless transmission of data at up to 10 Mbit/s, while covering a wider range than other wireless standards, such as the commonly used 802.11 a/b/g or N. With the introduction of Intel's Kilmer Peak chipset, OEMs will enable their laptops to support the WiMAX standards across the majority of markets, making them usable by a wider range of customers.
Although no specific date has been given for when these laptops will be available on the market, the chip maker announced that Kilmer Peak was already in production and that it would be available for the upcoming Calpella and Arrandale platform solutions, due out in the first quarter of 2010.