For your information: from the Sunday Star Times in NZ.
Intel eyes Kiwi firm for Wimax
06 August 2006
By ROB O'NEILL
Woosh Wireless is in talks with giant chipmaker Intel about building a new broadband network in New Zealand.
The American company has made direct investments in several wireless internet providers around the world, including $A37 million in Sydney-based Unwired in August last year.
Woosh chairman Rod Inglis confirmed last week that discussions were taking place, but would not comment on whether those talks involved a direct investment by Intel.
Simon Curry, Intel's Melbourne-based group manager of communications and media, said the company had been talking to Woosh over a long period. Curry would not comment on whether those discussions included talk of a direct investment by Intel in Woosh.
Woosh is expected to announce a new chief executive any day following the resignation of long-time head Bob Smith, who departs at the end of the month. American wireless industry executive Kevin Wiley joins the company soon as chief operating officer, replacing fellow American Richard Cane who has returned home.
Intel is pushing a new wireless broadband networking standard called Wimax that allows mobile devices to connect to the internet and email while users are on the road. Wimax-capable chips will be included in many laptop computers next year and Intel wants networks to be available for its customers to use.
"We're interested in anything to do with Wimax," Curry said. "We've had discussions about how we can help them. Our interest is as a stakeholder in the success of Wimax. Our discussions are about how we help people to make this market take off."
AdvertisementAdvertisementLast month, among a spate of developments, Woosh announced it had backing to build a Wimax network.
Inglis said this was an essential piece of the company's evolving strategy to become a "converged" communications company able to deliver fixed and mobile voice services, broadband and content such as internet television (IPTV).
However, the company has already built a broadband network based on a rival technology to Wimax called UMTS TDD. Inglis said there was no conflict in using competing technology.
Many carriers operate two networks and Woosh was continuing to roll out UMTS stations to which Wimax can be added relatively easily, he said.
Woosh has been accumulating spectrum in the 2.3GHz band, most recently through a deal with Sky TV, which could also be part of any future IPTV offering.
Inglis said the company largely has enough bandwidth now to pursue its objectives.
But Woosh's plans face at least one more hurdle, with the Ministry of Economic Development recommending that rights to some of the 2.3 GHz spectrum it holds not be automatically renewed when the arrangements expire in 2010. The ministry says it should not be renewed as it has not been used.
Inglis describes this as an "extraordinary situation". He says the government is being cautious as it wants to be seen as non-discriminatory "but in reality it would be discriminating against us not to renew."
UNW
unwired group limited
