Intel: WLAN and WiMAX to coexist

WiMAX (world interoperability for microwave access), also known as IEEE 802.16, a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) technology, will complement WLAN in the future, rather than squeeze it out of the market, according to Lin Long-song, president and general manager of the Intel Innovation Center in Taiwan, at a press conference on August 20.

The IEEE 802.11 standard specifically gives individual devices access to a wireless local area network (WLAN), but WLANs will be able to share an IEEE 802.16 connection for last-mile access, said Lin. Wi-Fi connectivity to a 802.16 access point (AP) will also allow WLAN devices to share a single connection to the Internet, Lin stated. Both standards have their own advantages, and so far the one standard cannot displace the other, Lin noted.

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