Questions and Answers

What is the purpose of the Wireless Gigabit Alliance?
The Wireless Gigabit Alliance was formed to establish a unified specification for 60 Gigahertz (GHz) wireless technologies. The widespread availability and use of digital multimedia content has created an ever-increasing need for faster wireless connectivity that current wireless standards cannot support. This has fueled demand for a single technology that can support instantaneous file transfers, wireless display and docking, and streaming high definition media on a variety of devices.

Who is on the WiGig Alliance board of directors?
At launch, several companies comprise the industry-leading board of directors, including Atheros Communications, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Dell, Inc., Intel Corporation, LG Electronics, Inc., Marvell International LTD., MediaTek Inc., Microsoft Corporation, NEC Corporation, Nokia Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., and Wilocity. See About Us for more details.

What are the requirements for membership in WGA?
Any company may participate in WGA. Prospective members are required to sign a member’s agreement, which provides license rights for use of the WGA specification. Interested parties are invited to contact us at admin@wigig.org.

What is the WGA specification? What purpose does it serve?
WGA is developing a unified specification for 60 GHz wireless technologies that will provide multi-gigabit-speed wireless connectivity among PCs, consumer electronics and handheld devices. The WGA’s specification will develop and promote a single 60 GHz technology that addresses the needs of multiple platforms – enabling wireless display, cable replacement, PC docking and high-speed file transfer. See Specifications for more details.

What kind of throughput and range can we expect from the WGA specification?
All products based on the WGA specification will be capable of at least 1 Gbps at a typical range of 10 meters, and some implementations will be capable of speeds more than 6 Gbps at greater distances.

When will the WGA specification be available? When will products based on the specification be available?
The WGA specification is expected to be released in Q2 of 2010. Each company has different product schedules, so product inquiries should be directed to individual members.

Does WGA cater specifically to one type of device?
No. The WGA specification was designed from inception to address the most rigorous, specific requirements of various platforms, from low-power handhelds to high-performance PC and CE applications. WGA’s 60 GHz technology will enable the broadest ecosystem of interoperable systems. It does not need to be retrofitted or adapted for future applications because it includes IP data support and streaming HD video and audio on day one.

How will WGA ensure interoperability?
WGA intends to certify products to clearly communicate to the consumer which products have passed rigorous interoperability testing.

Will there be a 60 GHz or WGA certified logo to communicate interoperability?
The organization intends to provide a certification mark, which will show consumers that products have passed interoperability testing.

Won’t gigabit wireless be too power-hungry for mobile devices?
The WGA specification was designed from inception to address the rigorous requirements of various platforms, including low-power handhelds and battery-operated CE devices. To be more specific, the WGA specification will include a high-efficiency PHY mode for mobile devices, with error-control schemes and MAC-layer features that are optimized for energy efficiency.

For wireless communications, is the 60 GHz band better than using 2.4 or 5 GHz bands?
It is not a question of better or worse, but 60 GHz is the ultimate complement to both 2.4 and 5 GHz. The 60 GHz band simply has much more bandwidth available (7-9 GHz of spectrum) vs. 83.5 MHz in the 2.4 GHz band — which enables much higher data rates. Applications that require multi-gigabit per second speeds (like uncompressed video transmission) to operate will need to run in 60 GHz. Other applications that lend themselves to lower speeds, but require operation throughout the home are better suited to traditional “whole home coverage” 802.11 in the 2.4 and 5GHz bands.