Intel's Grove: Don't Stifle Wi-Fi
Intel wants to be a bigger player in wireless. At one point they wanted to ship more chips to handset makers. But now I think they see Wi-Fi as their key path to the wireless future. Not only have they made a number of Wi-Fi investments but earlier this week Intel Chairman Andy Grove advised Congress not to stifle Wi-Fi’s growth. Grove predicts that telecom lobbyist will be asking Capital Hill to provide traditional carriers with some relief from services that undercut their licensed spectrum based business. While I have no doubt that lobbyists will be sent out to seek such protections, I also believe that wireless execs are not quite as stupid as their entertainment industry counterparts. Carriers around the world are embracing Wi-Fi as a complement to their cellular offerings. Carriers who fight this technology are only making things hard for themselves and easier for the competition.
