Wi-Fi Alliance unveils new WiGig certification, adds key 60 GHz multi-gigabit wireless partners

With industry momentum and user anticipation of 60 GHz wireless technology growing, Wi-Fi Alliance announced that it 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.

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.

Related: Wi-Fi, WiGig finalize unification

“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,” comments 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,” comments 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,” comments 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.”