XOHM, Intel and WiMAX Partners Celebrate 4G

by Marco Chiappetta — Thursday, October 09, 2008, 12:04 PM EDT

XOHM, Intel and WiMAX Partners Celebrate New 4G Broadband Era in Baltimore

4G mobile service provides XOHM customers a city-sized hotspot. New Intel-based notebooks, other WiMAX-ready devices on roadmap. XOHM retail push includes Web, area Mall kiosks and select Best Buy stores. Symbolic "wire-cutting" event signifies Internet freedom and mobility.

Baltimore – Oct. 8, 2008 – Catalysts of a new 4G wireless broadband era gathered today in Baltimore as Sprint (NYSE: S), Intel and their WiMAX ecosystem partners celebrated the recent launch of XOHM mobile 4G service, and announced new access devices and retail strategies at an Inner Harbor event. The occasion marked a business model transformation for the wireless industry and innovation in the way mobile services are accessed and enjoyed.

XOHM, Sprint's 4G business unit, is building the fastest most capable mobile broadband network available in the U.S. as compared to other national wireless carriers. "Customers looking for true mobile broadband speed at affordable prices and the Open Internet will find that in this new service," said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO.

XOHM and its WiMAX ecosystem will provide customers with new wireless data and web services by incorporating WiMAX capabilities in consumer electronic devices and unleashing the Internet from wires and place-based communications. "4G has rapidly gone from a mobility vision to service reality with the launch of XOHM service in Baltimore," said Barry West, XOHM president. "Nothing has ignited the imagination of a cross section of industries and the partnership of an ecosystem the way WiMAX technology has. We are delighted with the reception we have received."

"Access to the Internet with its rich multimedia and social media applications has become an essential and entertaining part of our everyday lives, and this network will ultimately redefine where, when and how people enjoy that mobile experience" said Sean Maloney, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer of Intel Corporation. "This is an historic milestone for the U.S. and residents of Baltimore. We can now set our sights on ensuring a smooth city-by-city build out of WiMAX 4G and relish in what will be an incredible amount of Internet-related innovation and greater consumer freedom from wires and what has been constricted and localized hot spots."

WiMAX product availability
A hallmark of the XOHM ecosystem is an "embedded chipset" model in which manufacturers include WiMAX access within various computing, portable multimedia and Internet devices to make access more pervasive and to give customers more device choices. Intel is now shipping its first-ever combined WiMAX/Wi-Fi module, formerly code-named "Echo Peak," as part of the Intel WiMAX/Wi-Fi Link 5050 Series that is an optional feature for Intel Centrino 2-based laptops. Several leading PC OEMs have announced plans to deliver Intel Centrino 2-based notebooks featuring the Intel Core 2 processor with WiMAX including Acer, Asus, Lenovo and Toshiba. Beginning today WiMAX-based Intel notebooks can be found online at Amazon.com and NewEgg.com. Dell, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony also plan to support WiMAX in their laptops starting in 2009.

Tags: Intel, WiMAX, 4G, XOHM, xo, art, RT, IM, CEL, AR, and

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com