Windows Phone Thoughts: Unwired Australia and Intel Preparing Nationwide WiMAX Networks

"Unwired Australia, a wireless broadband carrier, and Intel Corporation announced today that Intel Capital has agreed to invest in secured convertible notes issued by Unwired with a face value of AUD$37 million (approximately US$27.9 million at present exchange rates). The investment is part of the companies’ efforts to advance the deployment of WiMAX networks. Unwired will use the proceeds primarily to expand its services to other major Australian cities. As part of the announcement, the companies have agreed to jointly promote mobile wireless broadband capabilities using WiMAX networks in Australia. Unwired plans to adopt future Intel products that support the upcoming IEEE 802.16e standard for WiMAX solutions intended to be deployed in infrastructure equipment and notebooks."

This isn't really Pocket PC news, but it's something I thought our Australian readers would be interested in. With Intel's investment of A$37m in Unwired's operations, residents across Australia can prepare for an expansion of Unwired's wireless broadband services outside of Sydney into other major Australian centres. Although Unwired currently manages pre-WiMAX networks, a nationwide upgrade to WiMAX can be expected in the first half of 2006, thus creating one of the world's largest wireless broadband networks in the world, and effectively allowing millions of general consumers and businesses to take advantage of this exciting technology.