I am still trying to figure where Q will obtain their antennas for handsets?
Favourite emerges in race for new 802.11n standard
by Guy Daniels - 18/1/2005 10:28:22
The field of four has reduced to three, in the race to define the new 802.11n wireless standard, with the news today that Qualcomm has joined forces with the rival TGn Sync group. As TelecomTV reported last month, the IEEE standards body is zeroing in on a definition for the new 802.11n technology, loosely summarized by its members as being the "Standard for Enhancements for Higher Throughput".
802.11n is based on a new radio technology called multiple input/multiple output. This allows the transmission of up to 100Mbit/s over a much greater distance than the fledgling WiMAX standard.
Since the IEEE Task Group N started work back in March 2003, it has received 32 separate proposals. The four short-listed proposals were to be discussed and dissected throughout this year, in readiness for an official unveiling sometime in 2006. The four proposals were received from (in order of popularity): the TGn Sync group (which is supported by over 20 members, including Intel, Cisco, Nokia, Samsung and Philips), the WWiSE Consortium (which includes Broadcom and Texas), Qualcomm and MitMot (Mitsubishi and Motorola).
Running in third place was obviously not good enough for Qualcomm, and so the company has decided to throw its lot in with the TGn Sync group - the current favourite. Consequently, it has withdrawn its solo proposal, leaving the MitMot group in a distant last place.
"As a recognized leading contributor to the IEEE 802.11n standards body, Qualcomm opted to align with TGn Sync to support the rapid introduction of a proposal that shares the same fundamental approach as ours and is strongly supported by numerous industry leaders," said Ed Tiedemann, SVP of engineering for Qualcomm. "We believe that the TGn Sync proposal will serve as the fundamental basis for the 802.11n standard and provides the highest possible throughput and quality of service for next-generation wireless networks."
Qualcomm believes its expertise in wireless, particularly with regard to its Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology, will help the TGn Sync proposal beat the WWiSE consortium's bid. MIMO improves wireless performance through the use of multiple transmit and receive antennas.
"Working together, our cross-industry group will be in a much better position to advance the standard swiftly," said a TGn Sync statement, adding that its proposal "provides for both short- and long-term opportunities, providing for the useful application of the technology by both the consumer and enterprise markets, now and in the future
AI
