CNET News' Michael Kanellos reports that Intel Research has developed a system that sends Wi-Fi signals more than 60 miles.

"It is regular Wi-Fi hardware but with modified software," says Eric Brewer, director of Intel Research Berkeley.

"The system isn't designed for the U.S. or Europe," Kanellos writes. "Instead, it is part of the chip giant's efforts to bring computing technologies to people in emerging markets. The communications infrastructure in most of these countries is fairly anemic and most of it is concentrated in cities. Villages, where a large portion of the population lives, are effectively cut off from the outside world except by car, bus or footpath. These Wi-Fi antennas, say Brewer and others, could serve as important links in a chain."

More here from Wi-Fi Planet ... and more here from Engadget.

Photo above is by cnet networks.