Intel, Nokia, Proxim, and a host of other companies have launched WiMax, a non-profit group formed to certify and promote the developing wireless broadband standard 802.16.

This technology will connect 802.11 hot-spots to the Internet and provide a wireless extension to cable and DSL for last-mile broadband access. 802.16 provides up to 31 miles of linear service area range without direct line of sight to a base station. The technology also provides shared data rates up to 70Mbps, posing a real threat to 3G and other wide area cellular data technologies.