Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) has been on a roll lately, and I'm not referring to its victories in the Fool's Stock Madness contest. Rather, it's riding high on Monday's news that it's setting up a $2.5 billion chip fabrication facility in Dainan, China -- Fools knew about it two weeks ago -- for greater exposure to the burgeoning Chinese market, not to mention Tuesday's announcement that its researchers have created a system that allows Wi-Fi signals to cover distances of up to 60 miles.
The researchers were able to pull that off by modifying regular Wi-Fi hardware with new software. More significantly, the technology costs only $700, so for communities in the developing world, where there isn't a strong communication infrastructure, it would be a relatively inexpensive way to transmit information.
By expanding into China and extending the reach of Wi-Fi signals (which normally only carry a short distance) to many of the world's other rapidly growing emerging markets, Intel is showing that it's serious about capturing some of the wealth at the "bottom of the pyramid." I encourage investors to factor both developments into their assessment of the company's long-term prospects, because I am confident both will pay dividends.
Interested in seeing how Intel has stacked up against some other heavyweights in Stock Madness? Check out its recent performances:
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Fool contributor Jack Uldrich owns stock in Intel. The Fool has a strict disclosure policy.
