Intel's
next-generation WiMax module, called Evans Peak, is on display at this
week's Ceatec exhibition in Chiba, Japan. Due to hit the market as part
of the Moorestown chip platform next year, Evans Peak will support more
WiMax profiles than Intel's current chipset and add support for
Bluetooth and GPS.
Intel's current WiMax chipset, formerly called
Echo Peak, has limited WiMax support. The module only supports the
2.5GHz version of the wireless broadband technology, which means it
cannot be used in some markets where WiMax is widely deployed,
including South Korea and Pakistan. These countries use the 2.3GHz and
3.5GHz versions of the technology, respectively.
The 2.5GHz
version of WiMax is just now hitting the market. Sprint Nextel's Xohm
service, which uses the 2.5GHz WiMax profile, officially began service
in Baltimore, Maryland, on Monday, and the operator plans to extend its
service to two more U.S. cities by the end of this year.
Evans
Peak will support WiMax that uses spectrum from 2.3GHz to 2.7GHz and
3.4GHz to 3.8GHz, according to a list of specifications provided by
Intel. By comparison, Echo Peak modules only support spectrum from
2.5GHz to 2.7GHz.
Evans Peak adds support for Bluetooth 2.1 and
GPS in the same module. It also supports 802.11 wireless networking,
which is already available with the Echo Peak module family.
The
Evans Peak WiMax module will be part of the Moorestown computing
platform, due to be released next year. Moorestown includes the next
version of the Atom processor, called Lincroft, and the Langwell
chipset.
Evans Peak may also appear in future versions of
Centrino 2 laptops. WiMax support is an option with Centrino 2, but the
limited WiMax support of the Echo Peak modules and the limited coverage
offered by 2.5GHz WiMax networks means this option has yet to appear in
large numbers of machines.
From : http://www.pcworld.com/
