The recent evolution of WiMAX technology and WiMAX standards will accelerate the deployment of broadband wireless technologies. As a sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival, Intel saw an opportunity to demonstrate the full potential of broadband wireless technology to change the way the film industry delivers content to theaters. Sundance presented multiple options to showcase the impressive technology across a variety of usage models.

Intel, collaborating with Alvarion and Mountain Wireless, designed a rich set of experiences for festival visitors, all enabled by a WiMAX technology-based broadband wireless network. The network included over 55 miles of point-to-point broadband wireless backhaul from Salt Lake City to Park City, Utah. Distribution within the Park City venue was accomplished by a point-to-multipoint broadband wireless network. The centerpiece of the effort was the first-ever wireless Internet streaming of a feature-length film to a live premier audience at a remote ski lodge. Accomplished with market-available hardware and straightforward installations, the resulting image quality at the premiere was indistinguishable from that customarily observed in a commercial theater.