Kirkland-based Clearwire, which is building advanced wireless broadband networks called WiMax, has named Scott Richardson as the company's new chief strategy officer.

Richardson previously served as vice president of Intel's Mobility Group, where he led Intel's wireless broadband efforts from the start and was responsible for the company's development of WiMax chips for equipment and devices.

I caught up with Richardson at WiMax World in Boston late last year. I asked him at the time how WiMax will differ from Wi-Fi or 3G, which provides broadband speeds wirelessly over cellular networks.

His response: Wi-Fi is not everywhere and 3G is too expensive.

He said the 3G market is mostly corporate, whereas WiMax will be aimed at the consumer. "The cost [of 3G technology] is significantly higher than Wi-Fi, which prevents mass adoption by consumers," Richardson said.

How cheap?

He said Intel's goal was to make one chip with both Wi-Fi and WiMax capabilities for $20 each. At that price, it can easily be tacked on to a laptop or consumer device.

During Richardson's 19 years at Intel he held a variety of positions, including general manager of Intel's OEM communication systems business, serving the networking and communications market, and positions in the company's Enterprise Server Group. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Clarkson University in New York.