Intel announced a couple of days ago the volume production of its IEEE 802.16 standard WiMax modem chipset (known as Rosedale), geared towards equipment vendors that are targeting the broadband wireless market.  The chip, now officially called the Intel PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface device, is fabbed externally and utilizes a programmable architecture.  Intel is only delivering the silicon, with the vendors being able to implement their own software up to the MAC.  Intel expects most vendors will use 5 MHz for channel bandwidth thereby yielding roughly 10 Mbps of IP traffic. 

The chips will be used in CPE gear and eventually in wireless base stations.  The advent of the 802.16e standard (expected to be ratified later in 2005) will lead to better power efficiencies and the silicon will be targeted for desktops by 2007.  As of today, Intel is producing the Rosedale chips externally and as the uptake increases, the production is expected to shift in house.  Despite the fact that 2005 volumes are expected to remain relatively low, there is a lot of hope that with 802.16e, reduction in costs, higher volumes and economies of scale can be achieved. 

Despite the fact that this is still probably the bottom of the first or top of the second inning in terms of WiMax (to use the baseball analogy), I believe that this is still a very important milestone for Intel, because the company has finally delivered the next step in its vision.  Also significant the fact that Intel currently has 12 hardware customers and 100 operators planning to sample their Rosedale chips (the manufacturer customer list includes the likes of Airspan, Alvarion, Aperto Networks, Axxcelera Broadband Wireless, Gemtek, Huawei, Proxim, Redline Communications, Siemens Mobile, SR Telecom and ZTE).  To add a further dose of realism (and silence some skeptics), a total of 15 carriers worldwide will be announcing their intentions to trial the Intel 5116 WiMax chips.  The list includes: AT&T, Altitude Telecom, BT, Brasil Telecom, ETB, Iberlanda, Millicom, Qwest, Sify, Speakeasy, South Africa Telkom, Telmex, Tower Stream and UHT. 

How long before the Centrino model takes over WiMax as well?  Well, it will be a while, as power efficiencies of 802.16e will be needed.  So this second phase push probably will not happen until 2007, at which point the technology will start getting moved into notebooks.