Intel sees free cell phone voice calls in your future

Berlin - Intel believes that mobile operators will drop their fees for voice calls some time in the future. Instead, carriers will generate revenues with data services, President and COO Paul Otellini said in an interview with a newspaper.

If you believe you are spending to much on your monthly cell phone bill, Intel has good news for you. According to the CEO of the chip manufacturer, cell phone companies might drop at least fees for voice calls at some time in the future ; "I am convinced this will happen," Otellini said in an interview with German daily newspaper "Berliner Zeitung".

The integration of wireless LAN capability in cell phones is the reason for cheaper and possibly free voice calls, Otellini explained. The revenue base for carriers will transition to data services, which will be a "challenge" for mobile operators. "For the first time in its 100-year history, all of the communication technology will based on a common standard, the Internet Protocol. The exchange of information will be transferred to the Internet," he said.

Otellini also indicated, that Intel will apply Moore’s law to the development of cell phone processors and increase its efforts in this area : In 2005 the company "likely" will introduce a cell phone processor which could "provide the performance of a Pentium III chip."