Cisco to buy WiMax supplier

The all-cash deal came a week after the United Nations approved WiMax for use on the 3G radio spectrum, boosting its appeal as an alternative to existing 3G broadband data services.

Unlike Wi-Fi, a rival wireless standard that operates at shorter distances, WiMax networks allow the high-speed transmission of information over distances of several kilometres.

Some telecommunications companies have expressed interest in using WiMax wireless technologies to replace traditional copper wires or fibre optic cable in the "last mile" between their data backbones and customers' homes.