Intel hopes to bring WiMax to Southern Europe

The company is also reported to be in talks with operators in other European countries such as Russia and the Ukraine along with smaller Eastern European countries. It's also talking to the Middle East's growing mobile phone operator, Orascom (which owns a stake in Italy's Wind).

While the likes of Sprint Nextel prattle on about the technology offering the lowest cost per megabyte to its operators, what about the actual customers?

Intel boasts that the technology has a radius of 20 kilometres (although maybe only 3 kilometres in built-up areas). That's about 12 miles maximum.

One of the main drivers behind mobile phone adoption has always been the 'damsel in distrees' syndrome. Parents or husbands buying their wives or daughters a mobile phone so if they break down they can call for help.

That ain't going to work to work with WiMax is it? Go beyond the outskirts of the average American town and your 4G phone isn't going to work at all.

Which is why the INQ is fairly insistent that whatever mobile WiMax might be, it certainly ain't a fourth generation mobile phone network - ie 4G.

Perhaps Sprint Nextel should start to sell CB radios alongside the WiMax cards it can offer its 4G customers? µ