Technology history of WiMAX

If you're a fan of technology history, you will enjoy this article in BusinessWeek. The article describes Intel's role in the development of this technology, that may well prove to be a marketplace disruptor.

This article reminds me of the early days of Ethernet, when Digital Equipment Corp (remember them?), Intel and Xerox teamed up to develop the DIX Ethernet standard, which preceded the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard. As Marvin Sirbu and Kent Hughes, in their 1986 TPRC paper point out, each member of the DIX alliance played a role that allowed Ethernet to succeed ... DEC to incorporate the standard in minicomputers (this preceded PCs), Intel to provide chips, and Xerox to provide workstations and software. In similar fashion, this article points out that Intel (chips), Sprint (network) and Nokia (handsets) allied to make this happen. The handset alliance has since come to include Samsung (see this).

This paper also highlights the rivalry in standards committees. This was the case with Ethernet (IBM was a proponent of token ring); in this case it was Qualcom, according to the article.

Anyway, this is an excellent read. This strategy was clearly successful with Ethernet ... time will tell if it will prove successful with WiMAX. Can you think of other technology standards that emerged out of a partnership like this one (and like Ethernet)?