WiGig: The Future of High-Speed Wireless Technology for Home Entertainment

Strategic Insights -

The Wireless Gigabit Alliance has formed a coalition of major tech companies to develop a new wireless standard, WiGig, aimed at revolutionizing the way we stream high-definition video and data around the home. WiGig promises to deliver speeds of up to 6 Gbps, enabling seamless streaming of uncompressed 1080p HD video and facilitating the widespread adoption of multi-player 3D games.

Key Takeaways:

  • WiGig will offer transfer speeds of up to 6 Gbps, allowing a DVD to be transferred in 15 seconds.
  • The technology will support streaming of high-definition 1080p 60Hz video in uncompressed form, eliminating the need for compression and decompression.
  • WiGig will be designed to complement, not replace, existing wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
  • The Alliance expects to have a final specification by the end of the year and to begin certifying interoperability in 2010.
  • WiGig devices will be power-efficient, making it suitable for battery-operated devices.
  • The technology will enable the creation of an interoperable ecosystem of high-speed, low-power wireless products.
  • WiGig will have a smaller range than Wi-Fi, potentially limited to one room or an adjacent room, with a maximum range of 10 meters (30 feet).

Statistics:

  • WiGig will support transfer speeds of up to 6 Gbps.
  • The technology will be able to stream uncompressed 1080p HD video.
  • WiGig will have a smaller range than Wi-Fi, with a maximum range of 10 meters (30 feet).
  • The Alliance expects to have a final specification by the end of the year.
  • Certification of interoperability is expected to begin in 2010.
  • WiGig devices will be able to communicate at a minimum of 1 Gbps, with non-battery-operated products transferring data up to 6 Gbps.

Sources:

  • Wireless Gigabit Alliance (unspecified date)
  • Atheros CTO Bill McFarland
  • Mark Grodzinsky, Wilocity marketing VP
  • Ali Sadri, chairman of the Wireless Gigabit Alliance and an Intel executive
  • Samsung (July 2008)
  • Intel
  • Panasonic
  • Dell
  • Nokia
  • Microsoft
  • Broadcom
  • Marvell
  • MediaTek
  • NEC
  • LG Electronics
  • MediaTek
  • NXP
  • Realtek
  • STMicroelectronics
  • Tensorcom
  • Wilocity