Wireless alliance for 60 GHz technology

More than 15 technology companies announced the Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) Alliance, an organization formed to establish a unified specification for 60 Gigahertz (GHz) wireless technologies. The widespread availability and use of digital multimedia content has created an ever-increasing need for faster wireless connectivity that current wireless standards cannot support.

By Control Engineering Staff June 1, 2009

More than 15 technology companies announced the Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) Alliance, an organization formed to establish a unified specification for 60 Gigahertz (GHz) wireless technologies. The widespread availability and use of digital multimedia content has created an ever-increasing need for faster wireless connectivity that current wireless standards cannot support.

This has fueled demand for a single technology that can support instantaneous file transfers, wireless display and docking, and streaming high definition media on a variety of devices. To meet this demand, the WiGig Alliance is developing a 60 GHz wireless technology that provides the optimal way to connect electronics, handheld devices and personal computers.

The WiGig specification will allow devices to communicate without wires at gigabit speeds within a typical room; the group’s vision is to create a global ecosystem of interoperable products based on this specification, which will unify the next generation of devices at speeds more than 10 times faster than today’s wireless LANs.

Among the companies on the board of directors are: Atheros Communications, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Dell Inc., Intel Corporation, LG Electronics Inc., Marvell International Ltd., MediaTek Inc., Microsoft Corp., NEC Corporation, Nokia Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., and Wilocity.

“We’re now at the point where the last barrier to wireless being able to do everything that wire can has fallen,” said Craig Mathias, a principal with the wireless and mobile advisory firm, Farpoint Group.

“In both the residence and the enterprise, more capacity and throughput are always desirable. WiGig Alliance is going to deliver technology that will have an enormous impact on connectivity and mobility, information technology, consumer electronics, and many other applications,” says Mathias.

www.WirelessGigabitAlliance.org/specifications

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