whymax, best buy, clearwire, gadgets, google, intel, internet, sprint, wimax, wireless...

Intel Dumping $2 Billion Into WiMax

The rumored Sprint/Clearwire WiMax reunion is apparently coming with a wedding gift from Intel: $2 billion. Given Sprint's shaky legs and Clearwire's teeniness, they're gonna need it to get to WiMax on track for national deployment (it's why we were thought they were doomed to be together in the first place).

Especially since it seems unlikely that Best Buy or Google will heed their sorta desperate call for cash. Google's got 700MHz spectrum on its plate, and logically, WTF would Best Buy want with WiMax? Intel's already heavily invested and support will be in their next mobile chipset, so it makes sense they would toss more money into the massive, sucking hole that will be the Sprint/Clearwire venture. [The Street via Broadband Reports]

3:30 PM on Mon Feb 18 2008
By matt buchanan
4,659 views
8 comments

Comments

flame500 at 03:44 PM on 02/18/08
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Why won't sprint just die?!
aec007 at 03:49 PM on 02/18/08
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WOWSER!.
Looks like Intel is pulling a Blu-ray too!...

You know, like Sony slipping money under the table... to get the ball rollingthe right way... ;)

I guess we know who's chips we'll be using....
MacBastard at 04:29 PM on 02/18/08
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If only the Clearwire service didn't blow dead, syphilitic goats.

I have spoken with three people who had tried the service in three different parts of the Seattle-Bellevue service area, with no joy. Either they couldn't maintain a connection with the network, or the speed was nowhere near what was advertised, ever.

All three have canceled, so if I correlate that with the massive dead-tree bombardment I receive from Clearwire every frickin' week in my mail slot, I am guessing they will need every penny of that $2B to float this lead balloon.
Hvedhrungr at 05:00 PM on 02/18/08
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If I convince Intel that I am also a young and promising technological venture in dire need of some financing, will they send $2 billion my way, too? Pretty please with sugar on top?
Hvedhrungr at 05:01 PM on 02/18/08
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Strike that! I'm a young and desperate technological venture doomed to crash and burn, horribly injuring thousands of potential customers in the process and spoiling the local market for years to come.
GIMME THE MONEY NOW!
firesign at 06:06 PM on 02/18/08
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this is, and always has been, massive fail. wimax will never go national. ever.
Parker. A at 09:18 PM on 02/18/08
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@firesign: yeh, and the home computer market is dead. I estimate that there might be a market for about 6 home computers...
SneakerFiend at 02:37 PM on 02/19/08
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@aec007: Well i say why doesnt nextel break apart. They were doing way better without sprint.
A smarter move would be t-mobile buying sprint and adding all those frequencies and 3G technologies onto their network. Then the 4G technology rolling but out of Sprint's profit and clearwire.
I think that'd qualify as a monopoly tho. A joint wouldn't be smart because sprint is kind of a bad luck charm.
This is a lot like sony tho. If intel bought out sprint they'd be rolling in cash after they get the hang of having a cellular network. It'd be a real gamble though.