Wireless USB Specification Released -- 480 Mbps at 3m

Work on the Wireless USB specification has now been completed and responsibility for the specification will transition from the Wireless USB Promoter Group to the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), which intends to undertake certification, compliance testing, logo licensing and marketing for Wireless USB.


Wireless USB is a high-speed wireless personal interconnect technology that is based on the WiMedia MAC Convergence Architecture, utilizing the WiMedia Alliance's MB-OFDM ultra wideband MAC and PHY. It has been designed to coexist with the other upper-layer protocols built atop WiMedia's common radio platform. It delivers speeds equivalent to wired Hi-Speed USB, with bandwidth of 480 Mbps at 3 meters and 110 Mbps at 10 meters. It promises to provide backward compatibility and seamless legacy support through the definition of external adapters, which will help ensure quick proliferation.


"We've delivered on the promise we made in 2004 to complete the specification and make it publicly available in 2005," said Jeff Ravencraft, chairman of the Wireless USB Promoter Group. "Product development is currently underway, with the first Wireless USB products expected to be available at the end of 2005. The first implementations will be in the form of discrete silicon that is being introduced in a number of form factors such as add-in cards, external adapters and embedded silicon modules for integrated solutions."


The Wireless USB Promoter Group, consisting of seven companies -- Agere Systems, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, Philips Semiconductors and Samsung -- defined the Wireless USB specification with the support of more than 100 contributor members.
http://www.usb.org/wusb/