Intel Corp. and nine other companies announced on Monday the launch of an industry initiative aimed at making it easier for users to access the Internet over wireless networks.
The backers of the Mobile Data Initiative Next Generation (MDI-ng) include companies focused on telephony and computing hardware as well as Internet connectivity. The group aims to cooperate with wireless standards bodies to develop standards and specifications for mobile Internet-enabled devices, focusing especially on the needs of business professionals, Intel said in a statement issued Monday.
In addition to chip giant Intel, the other initial backers of the MDI-ng initiative are BT Cellnet Ltd., Dell Computer Corp., France Télécom SA, Fujitsu Siemens Computers BV, Hewlett-Packard Co., Motorola Inc., Siemens AG's Mobile unit, Sonera Corp. and Toshiba Corp.
Targeting the all packet-switched wireless network technologies, the group said it aims to continue and expand upon the work initiated in the original MDI, which was formed in 1996, by founding members including IBM Corp., Intel, L.M. Ericsson Telephone Co., Nokia Corp. and Toshiba.
With the advent of technologies such as GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), a packet-switched network technology that currently is being rolled out by many GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network service operators, wireless Internet access will reach performance levels comparable to fixed-line networks, the statement said.
The MDI-ng will also expand the initiative to cover not only mobile phones but the whole range of handheld devices.
Intel, in Santa Clara, California, can be reached at +1-408-987-8080, or via the Web at http://www.intel.com/.