UN and Intel gang up to make third world wireless

He told the first ever UN conference on wireless networking that wireless Internet connectivity was key, "especially in developing countries and countries with economies in transition."

"It is precisely in places where no infrastructure exists that Wi-Fi can be particularly effective, helping countries to leapfrog generations of telecommunications technology and infrastructure and empower their people," Annan said.

Annan addressed the New York conference, organized by the UN Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Task Force and the Wireless Internet Institute, from a base in Geneva.

In a keynote speech Intel's "Kicking" Pat Gelsinger, told the conference that wireless connectivity was cheaper than other broadband services and requires less government regulation, making it, he said, "the only way to build a broadband infrastructure" in developing nations.

Based on his view of China and India, Gelsinger told Reuters he saw a "worldwide lust for technology". He reckons poorer nations should follow the US lead and allocate spectrum bands with no end-user licensing requirements, to promote the uptake of wireless technology.

The wireless offensive was joined by the World Bank, with Mohsen Khalil, the Bank's director of information and communications technology, agreeing to back the initiative, although he figured it would take some work.

Intel, as far as we can tell did not offer to dip into its own pockets to kick start the initiative. µ