Intel to have Wi-Max cards this year

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Intel Corp. has moved up to this year its expected roll-out of cards that will let computers access the Internet using Wi-Max,

Intel Corp. has moved up to this year its expected roll-out of cards that will let computers access the Internet using Wi-Max, a new long-range, high-speed wireless technology.

Wi-Max is seen by many in the field as a successor to Wi-Fi, which provides fast wireless Internet connections in homes and businesses but has a limited range of a few dozen yards.

Wi-Max has a much longer range, varying from a couple of miles in an urban area to 10 miles or more in open country.

Intel, which had previously said it expected to have Wi-Max products in 2007, now plans to have Wi-Max cards for laptops in the second half of this year.

India and Spain are running pilot Wi-Max services, and the technology's supporters are optimistic it will find broad use in developing nations where Internet access is still too expensive.

Intel is also working on a chip that integrates Wi-Max and Wi-Fi.