New Spec to Grease Wheels for Wireless Gadget Data Sharing

Over a dozen technology companies announced Thursday their participation in the Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) Alliance, an organization formed to establish a unified specification for 60 gigahertz (GHz) wireless technology. The new wireless alliance has been working behind closed doors for more than a year.

The collection of semiconductor makers and digital media device manufacturers quietly banded together to develop a new solution for faster wireless connectivity among digital devices like cameras, media players and computers.

The WiGig specification is intended make wireless file transfers 10 times faster than existing protocols like WiFi. The connectivity range will connect devices located within the same room, Ali Sadri, chairman and president of the WiGig Alliance, told TechNewsWorld. By contrast, a typical home WiFi router can send and receive signals to and from devices throughout an entire house.

The group's vision is to create a global ecosystem of interoperable products based on this specification. The standard will support a single technology for file transfers, wireless display and docking, and streaming high-definition (HD) media on a variety of devices.

"We already have been working as a group for 18 months. Now is the right time to announce that we exist," Sadri said.