Motorola will buy the broadband wireless equipment business of Clearwire as part of a set of deals intended to help jump-start mobile WiMax, the companies announced Wednesday.Clearwire, in Kirkland, Wash., was founded by cellular pioneer Craig McCaw and provides broadband services designed to work outside a home or office and even in a moving car. Clearwire’s services first launched in 2004 in Jacksonville, Fla. They came out ahead of mobile WiMax, an emerging system based on the IEEE 802.16e specification, and have been highlighted by Intel in its aggressive promotion of the technology. Clearwire owns NextNet Wireless, which develops the technology used to deliver the Clearwire service. Motorola now has agreed to buy NextNet, taking Clearwire out of the hardware business and helping the Schaumburg, Ill., wireless giant fill out its WiMax technology stable. The companies didn’t disclose the terms of the proposed acquisition. Also Wednesday, Intel announced that its Intel Capital division has invested US$600 million in Clearwire as part of a $900 million funding round in which Motorola also participated. All the transactions are subject to regulatory approvals. Clearwire offers service directly or through partners in more than 200 cities and towns in the United States, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark and Mexico. NextNet gear is also used in other service providers’ networks and is deployed on five continents, according to the companies. Intel and Motorola will help Clearwire deliver a standards-based mobile WiMax infrastructure, the companies said. Mobile WiMax is an emerging technology expected to hit the market next year. It is intended to deliver speeds over 1Mbps over distances of a few kilometers or more to mobile users. -Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)Related Link: Clearwire, AOL Team Up for Broadband ServiceCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature The CIO’s new role: Orchestrator-in-chief CIOs have unique insight into everything that happens in a company. Some are using that insight to take on a more strategic role. By Minda Zetlin Dec 04, 2023 12 mins CIO CIO CIO opinion Fortifying the bridge between tech and business in the C-suite To be considered a tech-forward company today, there has to be a focus on tech fluency across the C-suite, which creates a unique opportunity for CIOs to uplevel their roles and expand their footprint across the enterprise. By Diana Bersohn and Rachel Barton Dec 04, 2023 7 mins CIO CIO CIO brandpost Sponsored by G42 Understanding the impact of AI on society, environment and economy By Jane Chan Dec 03, 2023 4 mins Artificial Intelligence opinion Website spoofing: risks, threats, and mitigation strategies for CIOs In this article, we take a look at how CIOs can tackle website spoofing attacks and the best ways to prevent them. By Yash Mehta Dec 01, 2023 5 mins CIO Cyberattacks Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe