RICHARDSON, Texas—Intel Capital stepped up its WiMAX investments, pouring an additional $17.5 million into WiMAX gear-maker Navini Networks Inc. The funding underscores Intel’s strong commitment to WiMAX and places the company in a market-share dominant position as sales of pre-WiMAX-certified technology takes off.
“It is critical for the industry to develop mobile WiMAX solutions to meet the communication and information needs of our increasingly on-the-go society,” stated Sriram Viswanathan, vice president and managing director of Mobility at Intel Capital. “Navini Networks is a key equipment supplier to service providers whose deployments are accelerating this trend.”
Navini offers pre-802.16e mobile WiMAX base stations and modems, including the company’s patented “smart beamforming” technology, which is set to begin shipping in December.
“From our point of view, the market is clearly ahead of the 802.16e standard and that means Navini continues to be in an enviable position,” explained Roger Dorf, president and chief executive officer of Navini Networks.
Intel Capital began investing in Navini Networks in 2001 and has also invested in other WiMAX vendors, including mobile WiMAX chipmaker Beceem Communications Inc.
Navini declined to comment as to Intel’s overall investment in Navini, and Intel could not be reached for comment.
