[Updated 1P.M.] — An industry coalition hoping to speed ratification of embattled IEEE standard 802.11n has launched with 26 founding members. The Enhanced Wireless Consortium (EWC) says 802.11n will support wireless networking PHY speeds up to 600Mbps — and actual application throughputs up to 100Mbps — while interoperating with 802.11a/b/g.

Intel began promoting 802.11n more than a year ago, saying the technology would quadruple WiFi speeds to support applications such as dual-HDTV streams. However, standardization efforts have become mired in a two-camp approach, market research firm ABI reported last month, divided between the WWise and TGN Sync industry groups — groups that subsequently launched a combined “Joint Proposal” group.

Meanwhile, competing wireless technologies such as UWB and WiMAX are expected to reach market soon. Freescale demonstrated an HDTV wireless networking system based on UWB in June, while WiMAX supporters predicted as long as a year ago that the technology would “kill WiFi.”

ABI predicted last month that Intel and other large WiFi chip marketshare leaders would attempt to break the 802.11n stalemate by creating and promoting a third approach — the stated purpose of the EWC.

Meanwhile, Airgo Networks and fabless chip startup Cavium, which is comprised in part of DEC's former Alpha chip team in Massachussetts, demonstrated a Linux-based 108Mbps WiFi solution four months ago.

Claimed technical highlights of the EWC-supported implementation of 802.11n will include:

• Mixed-mode interoperability with 802.11a/b/g networks
• PHY transmission rates up to 600Mbps minimize battery drain by reducing send and receive times
• An efficient MAC with frame aggregation is expected to bring actual throughput closer to the raw PHY rate, “providing end users with at least 100 Mbps application level bandwidth,” the EWC says
• Use of 2.4GHz and/or 5GHz unlicensed bands — the same frequency plan of existing 802.11 devices
• 20MHz and/or 40MHz channel support uses more of the wireless spectrum, when available
• Spatial multiplexing modes support simultaneous transmission using one to four antennas, said to increase the robustness of wireless connections, and to support very high data rates
• Enhanced range via multiple antennas and advanced coding, said to offer a wider coverage area with consistent wireless speeds

Select EWC members will continue to work within the framework of the IEEE's Task Group “N”, the EWC says, while the new coalition will allow more direct involvement from semiconductor, peripheral, and software vendors, to insure broad industry support.

Initial EWC members include: Airoha, Apple, Atheros, Azimuth, Broadcom, Buffalo, Cisco, Conexant, D-Link, Intel, Lenovo, Linksys, LitePoint, Marvell, Metalink, Netgear, Ralink, Realtek, Sanyo, Sony, Symbol Technologies, Toshiba, USRobotics, WildPackets, Winbond, and ZyDas.

ABI Research Senior Analyst Philip Solis said, “Today's announcement means that companies can start building EWC-compliant Wi-Fi chipsets and products immediately, with EWC-compliant products probably reaching the market by the fourth quarter of 2006. Whether or not the EWC specification will form the basis of an eventual IEEE 802.11 protocol remains to be seen, but if so, that would mean availability of 'pre-802.11n' systems sooner than might have been expected.”

Solis adds, “The stalemate between TGn Sync and WWiSE may be transformed into a stalemate between the Joint Proposal and EWC groups. Companies have everything to gain or lose as far as market share with 802.11n — there is a lot on the line.”

The EWC's website can be found here.

 
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