(Source: San Jose Mercury News)
By Steve Johnson, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.
May 7--Intel, Microsoft and a consortium of other technology companies said Thursday they have formed an association to promote a fast new wireless technology for moving large data files among computers, high-definition television sets, portable media players and other devices in homes.
The so-called Wireless Gigabit Alliance seeks to set a unified standard for delivering data without wires at speeds that are at least 10 times faster than what is now possible with Wi-Fi technology.
A common standard is needed because many of the devices people use in their homes transmit data at greatly different speeds, said Ali Sadri, the alliance's chairman and director of wireless personal area network standards at Santa Clara chip maker Intel. That can result in unpleasantly long delays when a person tries to move a large data file from one device to another, he said.
"We have a very large problem, which is connectivity," Sadri said. By establishing a high-speed standard for all types of consumer devices, "we're extending the usability of Wi-Fi and perhaps putting it on steroids."
The alliance plans to have an agreed-upon standard ready by the fourth quarter of this year. Using the 60 gigahertz frequency band, the group expects its standard will provide for the transfer of data at up to 6 gigabits per second.
Sadri said many Wi-Fi devices today operate at 200 megabits to 300 megabits per second, though a few may operate at around 500 megabits
per second.
Besides Intel and Microsoft, companies participating in the alliance include Atheros Communications, Broadcom, Dell, LG Electronics, Marvell International, MediaTek, NEC, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung Electronics and Wilocity.
Contact Steve Johnson at sjohnson@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5043.
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