WiMax Service Nears Its Final Test

Notebook computers should begin reaching stores with the next generation of wireless technology - the long-range technology WiMax - by late 2008, Intel confirmed Friday.

The Santa Clara chip maker this week began shipping a chipset - or package of chips - that includes WiMax to computer makers for testing, said Sriram Viswanathan, a general manager. It anticipates the product, called Echo Peak, will be available commercially in late 2008.

Though add-on cards from small manufacturers have been available for laptops for some time, the delivery of Echo Peak is an important step in the spread of the emerging technology. It will be built into portable computers and mobile Internet devices, making access to WiMax networks easier. Intel has delayed the release of the product several times.

The news about the product comes as service providers move to develop the networks necessary for WiMax computers to connect to the Web. Two weeks ago, Sprint Nextel of Dallas and Clearwire of Kirkland, Wash., announced an agreement to build nationwide WiMax coverage that will reach about 100 million people by the end of 2008.

"The market has seen a lot of traction," said Michael Cai, director of broadband and gaming at the research firm Parks Associates of Dallas.

WiMax networks operate many times faster than the WiFi technology most laptops employ and transmit for 50 miles or so, compared to the 300 feet reach of a WiFi hot spot.