BT and the Intel Corporation have announced a strategic agreement to jointly promote the growth of broadband and wireless broadband services and high performance mobile computers, such as those based on Intel® Centrino ™ Mobile Technology.

The joint activities will include marketing initiatives aimed at promoting the benefits of wireless working to consumers and small, medium and large enterprises, as well as educating businesses on the productivity and competitive gains possible when there is synergy between communications and computing technologies.

The collaboration, championed for BT by Pierre Danon, chief executive, BT Retail, will allow BT and Intel to play a leading role in enabling the adoption of wireless internet and broadband communications in Britain.

Pierre said: “Unwiring the PC coupled with ubiquitous broadband access is changing the way people use computers, allowing them to communicate, be productive or be entertained wherever and whenever they want.

“Intel and BT are creating an ecosystem of knowledge and technology to accelerate adoption of broadband and wireless which will help Britain to lead the rest of Europe in converged computing and communications.”

Inge Lyngborg-Ennes, BT's partnership director for Intel, added “BT and Intel are both market leaders in our respective fields, we both have powerful brands and passionately share common objectives of accelerating the adoption of wireless services and promoting the benefits of the digital home to the UK public. We are already partners in the 'Government Home Computing Initiative' and Intel is one of our key partners in BT's 'Wireless Broadband Week' initiative.”

"The creation of a strategic marketing alliance signifies an important milestone and a significant augmentation of the relationship between BT and Intel. Watch this space. We will launch many new joint BT / Intel marketing initiatives over the next 18 months and we expect to generate significant market impact”

Intel have been quoted elsewhere as saying:

"Intel and BT will work together to promote wireless to consumers and to businesses at every level."

Interestingly, from what one can gather as part of the deal BT and Intel will grant each other licences across certain of their patents - though both companies are being vague about exactly what this covers.