By Mani Raj
17 tech companies are teaming up together to develop an in-home wireless standard for transferring mega-files within a home.
Wireless Gigabit or WiGig, Alliance consists of Dell, Intel, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Samsung, Panasonic and others. WiGig is working on a standard unified specification using 60-Gigahertz wireless band.
WiGig strives to fulfill what it sees as a need for faster wireless connectivity than the current standards support for instant file transfers, wireless display and docking, and streaming high-definition media.
WiGig said its specification will allow devices to communicate without wires at gigabit speeds within a typical room.
To accomplish this goal, WiGig assembled a diverse group of wireless semiconductor, PC, consumer electronics, and handheld device manufacturers. Atheros Communications, Broadcom, Marvell International, MediaTek, NEC Nokia, and Wilocity are part of the alliance.
Industry experts say although none of the companies in WiGig could develop a 60-GHz spec alone but working together makes it possible to develop a working protocol and convince consumers why it's better than 802.11n.
Downloading video and streaming movies are still a big hurdle over wireless. Experts expect that WiGig may be a solution that ultimately solves that problem and creates an infrastructure where consumers can download and stream very large files.
The WiGig specification is expected to be available to member companies in the fourth quarter.
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