802.11g on track for finalisation

By Richard Shim, CNET News, 22 May, 2003 08:22

NEWS

The latest wireless networking specification is on track for standards approval, which should open the door for further adoption of the already popular technology. A working group within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), an organisation responsible for setting standards for the networking industry, finished work on the most recent version of the 802.11g wireless networking specification last week. That version, 8.2, is likely to be the final form of the 802.11g specification, which is expected to be approved as a standard at an upcoming IEEE meeting on 12 June. The standardisation could increase the momentum of 802.11g. While some companies have already taken the plunge and based products on the specification, more conservative players such as Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft have been waiting for the specification to become a standard. Companies have cited the technology's incompatibility with 802.11b as the main reason for their hesitation. "Pre-standard 802.11g products have been popular, but the market has been held back because of interoperability jitters," said Brian Matthews, publicity chair for the IEEE's 802.11 working group. "But with a standard, companies can now be assured that the door is open for interoperability testing and approval by the Wi-Fi Alliance," an organisation that certifies Wi-Fi products. Matthews is also an employee at AbsoluteValue Systems a Melbourne, Florida developer of Linux-based software for wireless LAN (local area network) products. Manufacturers who already use 802.11g in their products have been rewarded. The specification has bolstered the growing global market for wireless networking gear, according to a study from the Dell'Oro Group, with products based on 802.11g accounting for 16 percent of the wireless networking market's revenue and 17 percent of shipments in the first quarter. And with a standard looming, other companies may be more comfortable with developing and selling 802.11g products. Intel is one such company. Last Thursday the chipmaker said it will begin using the technology in its Centrino bundle of chips sooner than planned. Centrino is composed of a new low-power Pentium-M processor, a chipset and Wi-Fi components tested by Intel. The company, which hadn't intended to use the technology until the first half of next year, has decided to start production by the end of this year of a Centrino package that includes an 802.11b/802.11g component. Later it plans to include 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g together in the wireless bundle. Intel based its decision, in part, on the progress that the specification has made in the standards and interoperability approval process, and the spec's growing popularity, according to Intel executive vice president Sean Maloney. Another remaining hurdle for Wi-Fi technology is security, something the IEEE has been working to address with its Wi-Fi Protected Access and 802.11i specifications. The 802.11g specification allows Wi-Fi networks to transmit data at 54mbps, uses the 2.4GHz radio band and is meant to be compatible with equipment based on earlier 802.11b wireless technology. Wi-Fi lets people wirelessly access and share resources on a network. The changes in version 8.2 of the 802.11g specification compared to version 7.0 were not drastic, said Matthews, but "that is in the eye of the beholder".

Discover the latest developments in Wi-Fi, 3G, GPRS and other cutting-edge wireless technologies at ZDNet UK's Wireless News Section. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

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