Intel Capital continues to invest in WiMAX companies around the world. The latest investments call for collaborative efforts between Intel and two established companies. The investment in Egyptian company Orascom Telecom WiMAX is the first investment from the Intel Capital Middle East and Turkey fund announced in November of 2005. Orascom will focus its efforts on working with governments and companies throughout the Middle East and parts of Asia to obtain spectrum licenses for the deployment of WiMAX services. Intel Capital has also invested in Dutch company Enertel WiMAX, which is targeting the deployment of WiMAX services in the Netherlands. In addition to funding and personnel, Enertel is also contributing an existing 3.5 GHz spectrum license to support this new joint venture.

The new companies created as a result of the collaborative effort will be majority owned by Orascom Telecom and Enertel, respectively, with Intel Capital as the lead investor. Intel Capital will also provide access to the significant technical and marketing resources of Intel. Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital, said that both investments are part of the vision of a World Ahead that Intel CEO Paul Otellini outlined earlier this month at the World Congress on Information Technology.

During the past year, Intel Capital has announced investments in a number of WiMAX and wireless broadband service providers around the world. Among them are PIPEX Wireless in the UK, DBD in Germany, Unwired Australia, Neovia in Brazil, and MVSNet in Mexico. Intel Capital has also been active in supporting WiMAX infrastructure through investments in Navini, a provider of WiMAX base stations and modems, and Beceem, a provider of mobile WiMAX chip sets.

For more on Intel Capital's global WiMAX investments:
- see this Indiantelevision report

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