WiGig, the
technology standard promising gigabit wireless networking, is ready to make a
splash at the 2013 International CES next month. The massive annual consumer
electronics event in Las Vegas is known primarily for inspiring gadget lust,
but in recent years the show has also played host to more of the Internet-based
technologies that make those gadgets so sexy. For the Wireless Gigabit (WiGig)
Alliance, that means CES offers the perfect platform for promoting its
high-frequency wireless tech.
In the future, WiGig
should make possible new devices that stream high-quality video over the air,
support rapid file transfers of photos and music, and maintain high-speed
Internet connections even when a crowd of users is vying for wireless access in
the same small space. Because WiGig is set to deliver speeds more than ten
times the highest 802.11n Wi-Fi rate, smart TVs could be wirelessly connected
to the Internet using the new networking standard, and displays of every kind -
from TVs to tablets - could receive video streams wirelessly from a single hub
in the home.
The idea of creating
new products and new product features using WiGig is appealing to consumer
electronics manufacturers. More importantly at this stage, however, the concept
is a compelling one for the semiconductor companies. It’s the silicon
manufacturers who will have to include the technology in their chips before any
WiGig-certified consumer products are made.
Says Dr. Ali Sadri,
president of the WiGig Alliance:
The bigger silicon
manufacturers are going to wait until certifications are complete before they
launch products or even announce their products. Obviously smaller companies
are more aggressive and want to say they’re ready. But 2013 will be an exciting
year. Our collaboration with Wi-Fi will hopefully materialize, and we can
expand what we’ve done with WiGig even further.
The development of
the WiGig standard started in 2009, and, according to Dr. Sadri, the Alliance
has made rapid progress since. Dr. Sadri’s team has been working closely with
the Wi-Fi Alliance and expects to transfer knowledge from trials and upcoming
interoperability tests to that organization in the near future. Dr. Sadri believes
that working with the Wi-Fi Alliance, his team can help jumpstart the WiGig
certification process, and begin certifying consumer products in early 2014.
In the meantime,
however, Dell
has already launched an ultrabook laptop with early WiGig technology, and
several big companies are likely to demonstrate WiGig in various forms in less
than three weeks at CES. In addition to Dell, Dr. Sadri lists Qualcomm Atheros
and Marvell as probable candidates, with even more companies showing WiGig in
private, back-room demos.
As for how WiGig
works, it’s a technology that operates in the unlicensed 60 gigahertz (GHz)
band of spectrum, with speeds of up to seven gigabits per second (Gbps). It has
the backing of numerous large enterprises including Cisco, Intel and Microsoft,
and is being included in the 802.11ad specification under development with the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The theory is that as
wired broadband speeds increase, and bandwidth demands continue to grow,
wireless networking has to evolve or risk becoming a bottleneck. A fast
Internet connection is only useful if the user can take full advantage of its
promised speed.
There are downsides
to WiGig. Distance limitations mean WiGig can only deliver speeds of 1 Gbps for
a couple hundred meters. The WiGig Alliance is aiming to extend that throughput
further, but the technology will never compare to Wi-Fi in range.
And WiGig isn’t the
only technology operating in the 60 GHz band. Another networking technology
called WirelessHD, for example, uses the same spectrum range, though there are
safeguards in place to keep the two technologies for interfering with each
other. When asked about WirelessHD, Dr. Sadri was not overly enthusiastic.
According to him, there’s been limited activity around WirelessHD, and he
believes manufacturers will hesitate to choose a proprietary technology when
WiGig is aiming to be interoperable with numerous other specifications. Analyst
firm In-Stat, now part of NPD DisplaySearch, agrees that WiGig has the best
shot at long-term success, and predicts
that WiGig-enabled computer shipments alone will approach 15 million by 2015.
Ultimately, the
potential for WiGig goes beyond consumer applications, and Dr. Sadri envisions
someday using WiGig network clusters to cover larger areas with high-speed
wireless connectivity. In the short term, however, consumer applications are
what will drive commercialization. About CES and WiGig’s future, Dr. Sadri is
highly optimistic. In his words, “throughput always wins.”
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