Wi-Fi Alliance® reveals new WiGig CERTIFIED™ logo and announces industry collaborations to advance 60 GHz technology

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With industry momentum and user anticipation of 60 GHz technology growing, Wi-Fi Alliance^® has designated WiGig CERTIFIED™ as the certification brand for products approved in its forthcoming interoperability program. The certification brand will be designated with a new logo, available for use on certified products entering the market as soon as next year.  

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130909/AQ75990LOGO)

WiGig CERTIFIED products will operate in the 60 GHz frequency band and deliver multi-gigabit speed, low latency traffic, and security-protected connectivity between nearby devices. Many WiGig CERTIFIED products are expected to be Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ as well, and products implementing both WiGig^® and Wi-Fi^® will include mechanisms to facilitate seamless handover between the two technologies.

"We are excited to expand the Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability program to include WiGig CERTIFIED products, which will deliver the same security and interoperability that consumers have come to expect with Wi-Fi," said Edgar Figueroa, Wi-Fi Alliance president and CEO. "WiGig CERTIFIED will be an excellent complement to Wi-Fi CERTIFIED, advancing our vision of seamless connectivity and extending the user experience to new applications."

In addition to developing a certification program to validate product interoperability, Wi-Fi Alliance has initiated several projects to address 60 GHz implementations of data, display, and audio applications. Newly-formed cooperative relationships with other industry organizations will also help ensure delivery of the best user experience with a variety of applications on WiGig CERTIFIED products.

Wi-Fi Alliance has engaged with the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) and has formally transferred the WiGig Serial Extension Specification to that organization, which plans to use it as a foundation to develop a Media Agnostic USB Specification. It is expected that WiGig CERTIFIED and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products will implement USB functionality. 

"The USB-IF is pleased to accept the transfer of the WiGig Serial Extension Specification from Wi-Fi Alliance, and it shares the commitment to enhance wireless connectivity with USB devices," said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President and COO. "The forthcoming Media Agnostic USB Specification will give consumers more flexibility to wirelessly connect their USB enabled devices."

Wi-Fi Alliance has also engaged in a Liaison Agreement with the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) to facilitate the certification of products based on the WiGig Display Extension Specification, which is expected to be implemented in some WiGig CERTIFIED products.

"The collaboration between VESA and Wi-Fi Alliance was designed to define the next generation standard of wireless display technology," said Bill Lempesis, executive director of the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). "The ability to connect PCs and handhelds to monitors, projectors and HDTVs wirelessly is highly desired among consumers and IT users. We believe that the wireless ecosystem stands to benefit from both our ongoing collaboration and the introduction of WiGig CERTIFIED."

The integration of WiGig Alliance into Wi-Fi Alliance, announced in January 2013, has concluded, with all technology and work efforts now consolidated in Wi-Fi Alliance. More information about WiGig, including a white paper summarizing the technology, is available at www.wi-fi.org.

About Wi-Fi Alliance^®

www.wi-fi.org

Wi-Fi Alliance^® is a global non-profit industry association of hundreds of leading companies devoted to seamless connectivity. With technology development, market building, and regulatory programs, Wi-Fi Alliance has enabled widespread adoption of Wi-Fi^® worldwide. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED^™ program was launched in March 2000. It provides a widely-recognized designation of interoperability and quality, and it helps to ensure that Wi-Fi-enabled products deliver the best user experience. Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 15,000 products, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services in new and established markets.

Wi-Fi^®, Wi-Fi Alliance^®, WMM^®, Wi-Fi Protected Access^® (WPA), WiGig^®, Wi-Fi Direct^®, the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, the Wi-Fi logo, the Wi-Fi ZONE logo and the Wi-Fi Protected Setup logo are registered trademarks of Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED^™, Wi-Fi Protected Setup^™, Wi-Fi Multimedia^™, WPA2^™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint^™, Passpoint^™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast^™, Miracast^™, Wi-Fi ZONE^™, WiGig CERTIFIED^™, and the Wi-Fi Alliance logo are trademarks of Wi-Fi Alliance.

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The USB-IF has established a MA USB Work Group which is currently developing the MA USB specification 1.0. To find out how to participate in the MA USB Work Group contact the USB-IF at [email protected].

SOURCE Wi-Fi Alliance