It’s official. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has approved and endorsed the new Wi-Fi standard IEEE (News - Alert) 802.11ad developed with Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) Alliance.

An organization behind the drive of multi-gigabit-speed wireless communications over the 60 GHz (EHF microwave) spectrum, WiGig created IEEE 802.11 ad hoc technology to provide high-throughput wireless local area networks (WLAN) on the 60 GHz band.

Publication of the wireless computer networking standard by the IEEE 802.11 working group provides a solution for “tri-band enabled devices” – which are starting to emerge in 2013, capable of delivering data transfer rates of up to 7 Gb/s, while maintaining compatibility with existing Wi-Fi devices.  

Ali Sadri, president and Chairman of WiGig, said the endorsement of the IEEE 802.11ad standard comes at a critical moment in multi-gigabit wireless industry transformation.

Having recently unified with Wi-Fi Alliance (News - Alert), WiGig’s multi-gigabit technology, which runs in 60GHz, will provide development of next-generation wireless consumer electronics, handheld devices and PCs, said Sadri.

WiGig’s published IEEE 802.11ad standard, which enables extreme high frequency (EHF) 60 GHz communication, is aligned with the WiGig MAC/PHY specifications (published in 2011) and is capable of high-speed data rates – suitable for close-range data transfer, such as for in-home HD video systems.

Gaining approval of 11ad to drive the 60 GHz single module for the wireless ecosystem has moved a step closer to widespread industry adoption: Companies like Wilocity and Atheros (News - Alert), developers of semiconductors for network communications, are already taking a unified approach to 60 GHz wireless development for networked products like Wi-Fi chipsets, Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO) cards and applications for high-definition video and high-capacity data storage devices.

Word of the publication of the new IEEE standard is spreading. It has become a period of diligence and planning to make 60 GHz technology an important part of the future of wireless connectivity, said Peter Cooney, practice director for semiconductors at ABI Research (News - Alert).

The new 11ad standard is not a replacement for 802.11ac; in fact, it provides native 802.11a/b/g/n/ac support. It simply expands data rates even further while taking advantage of a new spectrum and new technologies for wireless at home, in the office or for mobile/portable users to communicate over four, 2.16GHz-wide channels.

Those interested in knowing more about WiGig and its 60 GHz specifications for wireless devices and applications, or in learning about its multi-gigabit wireless docking system, can attend its demonstration at the 2013 International CES in Las Vegas (January 8-11).

Those who can’t make it to the event can visit Wireless Gigabit Alliance’s website for details on all the things covered. 

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