The United Nations telecommunications agency voted to approve WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) technology, and make it part of the third-generation (3G) of mobile standards. This endorsement should open up global frequencies to make WiMax a worldwide player in the lucrative 3G market.

WiMax has inherent advantages over Wi-Fi and landline data delivery systems. WiMax is able to hand off a signal from antenna to antenna, allowing a device to hold a connection while in motion, which Wi-Fi can’t do. And if data delivery speed is important, WiMax has the fixed-line broadband connections beat. The typical landline offers speeds around 2 megabits per second, while WiMax connects at speeds up to 70 megabits per seconds.

“We’re super, super, super thrilled,” said Sriram Viswanathan, general manager of Intel’s WiMax business and vice president of Intel Capital. “We’ve been at this for the last three years, and it was a very, very extensive amount of work with a lot of players in the industry.”