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At last, the New IEEE 802.11g Standard is approved
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Topic R&D, Standards and Certifications
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PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA, 12 June 2003 IEEE 802.11b?, the most widely used wireless local area network (WLAN) technology, has gotten a long-awaited increase in speed through a new amendment to the IEEE 802.11 ? standard ratified by the Standards Board of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The amendment, IEEE 802.11g?, raises the data rate of IEEE 802.11b networks to 54 Mbps (megabits per second) from 11 Mbps.
The added transmission speed gives wireless networks based on IEEE 802.11b (often called Wi-Fi) the ability to serve up to four to five times more users than they now do. It also opens the possibility for using IEEE 802.11 networks in more demanding applications, such as wireless multimedia video transmission and broadcast MPEG.
The new amendment allows IEEE 802.11g units to fall back to speeds of 11 Mbps, so IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g devices can coexist in the same network. The two standards apply to the 2.4 GHz frequency band. IEEE 802.11g creates data-rate parity at
2.4 GHz with the IEEE 802.11a standard, which has a 54 Mbps rate at 5 GHz. (IEEE 802.11a has other differences compared to IEEE 802.11b or g, such as offering more channels.)
"IEEE 802.11g gives WLAN suppliers and users added flexibility in choosing systems that best fits their needs," said Stuart J. Kerry, IEEE 802.11 Working Group Chair. "Given the millions of 802.11b-based WLANs in place worldwide, the market demand for the extension to 54 Mbps has been quite strong.
"One reason for this is that the higher speed extends the use of this widely deployed WLAN technology into a growing variety of home, consumer, business and public networking applications. In addition to making IEEE 802.11b networks more efficient, the new amendment ensures users that the equipment in these networks will be interoperable."
In terms of the effort needed to create the new amendment, Kerry noted that the IEEE 802.11 Working Group for Wireless LANs contains nearly 400 individuals with voting status who are affiliated with computer, networking and software companies, as well as with consultant organizations and academic institutions. "The members of the Working Group put forth a great deal of effort to make this standard a reality," he said. "They are to be congratulated for their achievement."
"The Wi-Fi Alliance applauds the IEEE for passing the IEEE 802.11g amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard," said Frank Hanzlik, Managing Director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "This very exciting achievement continues the evolution of wireless LAN technology.
"In response to the amendment's approval, the Wi-Fi Alliance will be announcing the first round of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED? 802.11g products in the near future. With over 700 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products already available around the world, we expect that the approval of this amendment will increase product certifications and industry growth."
Geoff Thompson, Vice Chair of the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee and a member of the IEEE Standards Board, says: "The current round of IEEE 802 standards passed by the Standards Board, which includes IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.3af, "Data Terminal Equipment Power Via Media Dependent Interface," will help put networking equipment everywhere. These approvals are part of a long-standing effort within the IEEE-SA to create advanced standards that support cutting-edge applications so the industry continues to give end users the capabilities they demand."
IEEE 802.11 standards form a family of specifications that define how WLAN equipment should be produced so equipment from different manufacturers can work together. IEEE 802.11g, "Higher Speed Physical Layer (PHY) Extension to IEEE 802.11b," was developed by the IEEE 802.11 Working Group, which is sponsored by the IEEE 802 ? LAN/MAN Standards Committee of the IEEE Computer Society. For further information, visit: http://www.ieee802.org/.
About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), a global standards-setting body, develops consensus standards through an open process that brings diverse parts of an industry together. It has a portfolio of more than 870 completed standards and more than 400 in development. IEEE-SA promotes the engineering process by creating, developing, integrating, sharing and applying knowledge about electro- and information technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity and the profession. For further information on IEEE-SA visit: http://standards.ieee.org/.
About the IEEE
The IEEE has more than 380,000 members in approximately 150 countries. Through its members, the organization is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace, computers and telecommunications to biomedicine, electric power and consumer electronics. The IEEE produces nearly 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering, computing and control technology fields. This nonprofit organization also sponsors or cosponsors more than 300 technical conferences each year. Additional information about the IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org/.
About the Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance (formerly WECA) is a nonprofit organization formed in 1999 to certify interoperability of IEEE 802.11 products and to promote them as the global, wireless LAN standard across all market segments. The Wi-Fi Alliance has instituted a test suite that defines how member products are tested to certify that they are interoperable with other Wi-Fi CERTIFIED? products. These tests are conducted at an independent laboratory.
Membership in the Wi-Fi Alliance is open to all companies that support the 802.11 family of standards. The Wi-Fi Alliance now comprises over 180 members from the world's leading companies. These companies offer over 740 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED? products. For more information, please visit http://www.wi-fi.org/, and for information on Wi-Fi ZONE public access locations, go to http://www.wi-fizone.org/.
All company names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners.
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