POPULAR
WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORKS GAIN LARGE BOOST IN SPEED
New
IEEE 802.11g™ Standard Extends Data Rate of IEEE 802.11b™
WLANs to 54 Mbps from 11 Mbps
Contact:
Stuart J. Kerry, IEEE 802.11 Working Group Chair
+1 408 991 4854, stuart.kerry@philips.com
or
Karen McCabe, IEEE Senior Marketing Manager
+1 732 562 3824, k.mccabe@ieee.org
PISCATAWAY,
N.J., USA, 12 June 2003 IEEE 802.11b™, the most widely
used wireless local area network (WLAN) technology, has gotten
a long-awaited increase in speed through a new amendment to the
IEEE 802.11 ™ standard ratified by the Standards Board of
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The amendment,
IEEE
802.11g™, raises the data rate of IEEE 802.11b networks
to 54 Mbps (megabits per second) from 11 Mbps.
The added
transmission speed gives wireless networks based on IEEE 802.11b
(often called Wi-Fi) the ability to serve up to four to five times
more users than they now do. It also opens the possibility for
using IEEE 802.11 networks in more demanding applications, such
as wireless multimedia video transmission and broadcast MPEG.
The new amendment
allows IEEE 802.11g units to fall back to speeds of 11 Mbps, so
IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11g devices can coexist in the same
network. The two standards apply to the 2.4 GHz frequency band.
IEEE 802.11g creates data-rate parity at
2.4 GHz with the IEEE 802.11a standard, which has a 54 Mbps rate
at 5 GHz. (IEEE 802.11a has other differences compared to IEEE
802.11b or g, such as offering more channels.)
"IEEE
802.11g gives WLAN suppliers and users added flexibility in choosing
systems that best fits their needs," said Stuart J. Kerry,
IEEE 802.11 Working Group Chair. "Given the millions of 802.11b-based
WLANs in place worldwide, the market demand for the extension
to 54 Mbps has been quite strong.
"One
reason for this is that the higher speed extends the use of this
widely deployed WLAN technology into a growing variety of home,
consumer, business and public networking applications. In addition
to making IEEE 802.11b networks more efficient, the new amendment
ensures users that the equipment in these networks will be interoperable."
In terms of
the effort needed to create the new amendment, Kerry noted that
the IEEE 802.11 Working Group for Wireless LANs contains nearly
400 individuals with voting status who are affiliated with computer,
networking and software companies, as well as with consultant
organizations and academic institutions. "The members of
the Working Group put forth a great deal of effort to make this
standard a reality," he said. "They are to be congratulated
for their achievement."
"The
Wi-Fi Alliance applauds the IEEE for passing the IEEE 802.11g
amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard," said Frank Hanzlik,
Managing Director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "This very exciting
achievement continues the evolution of wireless LAN technology.
"In response
to the amendment's approval, the Wi-Fi Alliance will be announcing
the first round of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ 802.11g products in the
near future. With over 700 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products already available
around the world, we expect that the approval of this amendment
will increase product certifications and industry growth."
Geoff Thompson,
Vice Chair of the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee and a member
of the IEEE Standards Board, says: "The current round of
IEEE 802 standards passed by the Standards Board, which includes
IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.3af, "Data Terminal Equipment Power
Via Media Dependent Interface," will help put networking
equipment everywhere. These approvals are part of a long-standing
effort within the IEEE-SA to create advanced standards that support
cutting-edge applications so the industry continues to give end
users the capabilities they demand."
IEEE 802.11
standards form a family of specifications that define how WLAN
equipment should be produced so equipment from different manufacturers
can work together. IEEE 802.11g, "Higher Speed Physical Layer
(PHY) Extension to IEEE 802.11b," was developed by the IEEE
802.11 Working Group, which is sponsored by the IEEE 802 ®
LAN/MAN Standards Committee of the IEEE Computer Society. For
further information, visit: http://www.ieee802.org/.
About the
IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), a global standards-setting
body, develops consensus standards through an open process that
brings diverse parts of an industry together. It has a portfolio
of more than 870 completed standards and more than 400 in development.
IEEE-SA promotes the engineering process by creating, developing,
integrating, sharing and applying knowledge about electro- and
information technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity
and the profession. For further information on IEEE-SA visit:
http://standards.ieee.org/.
About the
IEEE
The IEEE has more than 380,000 members in approximately 150 countries.
Through its members, the organization is a leading authority on
areas ranging from aerospace, computers and telecommunications
to biomedicine, electric power and consumer electronics. The IEEE
produces nearly 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical
and electronics engineering, computing and control technology
fields. This nonprofit organization also sponsors or cosponsors
more than 300 technical conferences each year. Additional information
about the IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org/.
About the
Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance (formerly WECA) is a nonprofit organization
formed in 1999 to certify interoperability of IEEE 802.11 products
and to promote them as the global, wireless LAN standard across
all market segments. The Wi-Fi Alliance has instituted a test
suite that defines how member products are tested to certify that
they are interoperable with other Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ products.
These tests are conducted at an independent laboratory.
Membership
in the Wi-Fi Alliance is open to all companies that support the
802.11 family of standards. The Wi-Fi Alliance now comprises over
180 members from the world's leading companies. These companies
offer over 740 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ products. For more information,
please visit http://www.wi-fi.org/,
and for information on Wi-Fi ZONE public access locations, go
to http://www.wi-fizone.org/.
IEEE Std 802.11,
802.11g, 802.11b, are trademarks of the IEEE. All other names
or product names are the trademarks, service marks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
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