While wireless networking technologies might be a bit hit-and-miss – for every popular 802.11g there's a struggling WiMAX – there's a new player in town which hopes to bring fresh life to a tired market.
Dubbed the WiGig Alliance, the group – backed by major players in the technology sector including Microsoft, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Dell, Nokia, and networking chip manufacturers Marvell, NEC, Intel, Atheros, and Broadcom – is looking to exploit the under-used 60GHz band of unlicensed airwaves to bring the ability to stream anything your heart desires.
As reported by Engadget, the group hopes to have its technology integrated into everything from televisions and home steroes to mobile handsets and digital TV boxes – allowing every device in your house to talk to every other device.
Where the technology differs from other such projects is in the speeds being offered: despite being a technology not optimised for one particular task, the group is aiming for gigabit speeds. With the possibility of full 1080p HD content being beamed around the room sans wires, manufacturers are clearly taking note.
Craig Mathias, speaking for the wireless and mobile advisory firm Farpoint Group, said that technology has reached a point “where the last barrier to wireless being able to do everything that wire can has fallen” with the founding of the WiGig Alliance. While his statement seems a trifle premature before any of the manufacturers have developed a proven commercial implementation, you can't fault his optimism.
The Alliance hopes to have a finalised version of the WiGig specification in manufacturers' sweaty hands by the end of the year – which, sadly, puts retail products somewhere in the region of 2011.
Do you believe that WiGig could be the answer to all your problems, or is there no good reason to ditch the Cat5e and HDMI leads in the first place? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
Dubbed the WiGig Alliance, the group – backed by major players in the technology sector including Microsoft, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Dell, Nokia, and networking chip manufacturers Marvell, NEC, Intel, Atheros, and Broadcom – is looking to exploit the under-used 60GHz band of unlicensed airwaves to bring the ability to stream anything your heart desires.
As reported by Engadget, the group hopes to have its technology integrated into everything from televisions and home steroes to mobile handsets and digital TV boxes – allowing every device in your house to talk to every other device.
Where the technology differs from other such projects is in the speeds being offered: despite being a technology not optimised for one particular task, the group is aiming for gigabit speeds. With the possibility of full 1080p HD content being beamed around the room sans wires, manufacturers are clearly taking note.
Craig Mathias, speaking for the wireless and mobile advisory firm Farpoint Group, said that technology has reached a point “where the last barrier to wireless being able to do everything that wire can has fallen” with the founding of the WiGig Alliance. While his statement seems a trifle premature before any of the manufacturers have developed a proven commercial implementation, you can't fault his optimism.
The Alliance hopes to have a finalised version of the WiGig specification in manufacturers' sweaty hands by the end of the year – which, sadly, puts retail products somewhere in the region of 2011.
Do you believe that WiGig could be the answer to all your problems, or is there no good reason to ditch the Cat5e and HDMI leads in the first place? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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