WiFi Alliance absorbs WiGig, reinforces commitment to 60GHz wireless
Just a little over two months since the WiFi Alliance and the Wireless Gigabit Alliance made their engagement plans known, the two groups are finally in marital bliss. They've long worked together on developing and building the 60GHz wireless standard, but decided it was best to make the partnership official in order to get the most out of their collaboration. Long-term plans include expanding WiGig's capabilities and implementing a baseline interoperability certification program by early 2014. This united effort could point to quite a growth spurt; ABI Research forecasts that there'll be annual shipments of 1.8 billion devices with both WiFi and WiGig support by 2016. Though there are no new product announcements at the moment, it looks like the newly unified WiFi Alliance will have plenty to work on over the coming years.
Show full PR text
Wi-Fi Alliance® and Wireless Gigabit Alliance Finalize Unification
Unified 60 GHz activities now underway
AUSTIN, Texas, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Wi-Fi Alliance® and Wireless Gigabit (WiGig®) Alliance have finalized the agreement defining consolidation of WiGig technology and certification development in Wi-Fi Alliance. This milestone marks the successful completion of the process initiated when the groups announced a Memorandum of Understanding in December 2012, and is the culmination of two years of collaboration between the organizations.
"This is a significant and exciting moment for our members and our industry," said Wi-Fi Alliance president and CEO Edgar Figueroa . "With 60 GHz efforts concentrated in one organization we have the momentum, technology, and members to deliver on the promise of WiGig technology."
Wi- Fi Alliance will continue work begun in WiGig Alliance on features that extend WiGig capabilities beyond baseline connectivity, to address a range of applications from high-definition WiGig Display, to peripheral connectivity and I/O cable replacement.
Consolidation of the activities in Wi-Fi Alliance will deliver closely-harmonized connectivity and application-layer solutions using WiGig technology. Shortly after the groups announced plans to integrate, members of both organizations conducted the third WiGig interoperability testing event. These events will continue throughout the year and lead to the baseline interoperability certification program in early 2014.
WiGig technology has continued to gain momentum, and will soon bring users closer to a future of seamless wireless connectivity, with WiGig solutions expanding on traditional Wi-Fi® usages. Early 60 GHz implementations based on the WiGig specifications are entering the market now, and ABI Research forecasts that by 2016, annual shipments of devices with both Wi-Fi and WiGig technology will reach 1.8 billion.
