Intel is planning to start shipping the first WiMax PC cards in the second half of this year, Sean Maloney, general manager of Intel's mobility group, said at Intel Developer Forum.

The company had expected WiMax technology to take longer to mature, but standards around the wireless technology are starting to settle, according to Maloney.

"We are now at the point where there is a clear coalescing around the 2.3GHz-2.5GHz, 3.5GHz and 5GHz bands. It looks likely that the planet can be covered using those frequency bands," he told delegates.

WiMax is a high speed, long range wireless networking technology positioned as a DSL replacement. Intel aims for WiMax to replace Wi-Fi in the next three years.

Maloney gave a first public demonstration during his keynote of an integrated Wi-Fi and WiMax chip that will allow for a smooth transformation between the wireless technologies.