Enhanced Wireless Chips/ 802.11n

dailywireless.org
Enhanced Wireless Chips
Date: Tuesday, October 18 2005 @ 14:33:27 PDT
Topic: 802.11 Standards


DigiTimes reports that Atheros and Marvell will begin volume production of chips that are compatible with the Enhanced Wireless Consortium's (EWC) proposed 802.11n standard in the first quarter of next year. Atheros also plans to launch EWC-compatible chips for mobile handheld devices in early 2006, the sources indicated.

Marvell says their 88W8360 chipset has a peak data rate of 300 Mbps. Supporting 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, as well as 20 MHz and 40 MHz channelization, the Marvell 88W8360 has the advanced Quality of Service mechanisms required to support the emerging digital home market by enabling transmission of multiple high-definition video streams while simplifying the end-user experience.

The Atheros AR6001X, while not specifically EWC compliant, is a 5GHz, 2.4 GHz device for mobile and embedded devices with built-in Wi-Fi Multimedia and 802.11e support. Atheros says chipsets that meet the unified specification will initially provide physical layer data rates up to 300 megabits-per-second (Mbps) with unmatched coverage. Atheros will also deliver chipsets supporting the higher EWC data rate (up to 600 Mbps) and optimized solutions for handheld mobile devices. Availability of Atheros-based products with enhanced performance capabilities is expected in the first quarter of 2006.

Whether the Enhanced Wireless Consortium (EWC) will be successful in obtaining support from the TGn Sync and WWiSE consortiums and the IEEE, is still unknown.

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++ Related

cnet.co.uk
Thursday 13 October 2005
Intel calls the high-speed Wi-Fi shots
Marguerite Reardon and Dawn Kawamoto
CNET News.com

As they often do when they're not happy with the way things are going, a collection of tech heavy hitters led by Intel may be trying to take control of an important Wi-Fi standards process.

Monday's announcement of a group called the Enhanced Wireless Consortium (EWC), led by Wi-Fi chipmakers Intel, Broadcom, Marvell and Atheros Communications, is the latest example of a long tradition in tech: the big guys, one way or another, usually end up calling the shots on standards.

The seeming momentum of this Intel-led group comes after a long and fractious debate over what should be in a standard called 802.11n. And it has some wondering if the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), which usually leads standards debates, and perhaps even the industry's traditional standards-setting process are becoming irrelevant.

"It's a very good question," said Craig Mathias, a principal analyst at the Fairpoint Group. "The whole process has definitely gotten more political over the years. The technology used in this standard is the future of wireless local area networks. It's very important for companies involved to get their market positioning up-front and establish themselves as players as soon as possible."

The 802.11n working group was formed within the IEEE about a year ago to establish a standard for a new Wi-Fi technology called MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) that will quadruple data rates of wireless LANs.

The 802.11n specifications are critical to the development of the Wi-Fi market, which needs higher speeds and larger ranges to accommodate more consumer electronics products on the network. Critics argue the Intel proposal is too PC-centric, while the originally IEEE-sanctioned group is working on something that is more inclusive of consumer electronics devices.

The process has been mired in squabbling between rival groups: one led by Intel and the other by Airgo Networks, a small company with the only MIMO-based chips that are now shipping. Earlier this year, the two groups came to a deadlock after an Intel-backed proposal failed to get the necessary votes to push it forward. Since then, members of the two groups have been working to develop a new joint proposal.

Intel and 26 other companies bowled a googly at the IEEE process when they announced the formation of their group. A committee still operating within the traditional standards process also plans to submit a proposal to the IEEE at its November meeting.

The Intel group claims that it wants to help accelerate the IEEE process and get the standard back on track. But at the moment, it's unclear whether or not the splinter group's proposal will actually slow down or speed up the process.

Some analysts worry the squabble could easily become a stalemate and deepen an already polarised situation. The new group initially rebuffed Airgo, which pioneered and leads the market in MIMO antenna technology. Several mobile handset manufacturers, such as Nokia and Motorola, have not joined the Intel group because they believe its specification is too PC-centric.

A similar situation has played out with other developing standards such as ultra wideband, a short-range wireless technology that rivals Bluetooth. Problems with ultra wideband stem from a stalemate between groups led by Motorola and Intel.

"The ultra wideband standards process has definitely gotten bogged down in politics," said Sam Lucero, a senior analyst at ABI Research. "And by my estimates, it has completely stalled out. Intel doesn't want Motorola to get too far ahead in the market. It's very similar to what's happening in 802.11n, where Intel doesn't want to see Airgo get too far ahead."

But some wonder if an IEEE stamp of approval is even necessary for companies like Intel and Broadcom to gain an edge in a market that promises to generate billions of dollars in revenue in the next several years.

Instead of waiting for the official standard, which isn't expected to be completed until the beginning of 2007, companies in the Intel group can start building pre-standard MIMO products now with the assurance that products will at least be compatible with those from market leaders like Intel and Broadcom. Products could ship as early as the fourth quarter of 2006, according to Philip Solis, a senior analyst at ABI Research.

In the end, the specification that gets a critical mass of products behind it becomes what everyone works with, whether an official standards-setting group likes it or not.

Some worry that such behind-the-scenes work unfairly excludes some companies. "Intel and Broadcom started drafting this proposal in March," said Nico van Waes, senior research engineer at Nokia. "And in the July timeframe, they came to several companies and said not to tell anyone that they had this proposal."

He said Nokia originally didn't join the Intel effort because it was worried that the chip giant was trying to bypass the open standards process. Indeed, competitors have complained that the secret work has given Intel and the other companies an unfair lead in developing silicon for their proposal.

"The ultimate value of MIMO is doing everything on one network that includes PCs, TVs, mobile phones and small multimedia players," said Greg Raleigh, CEO of Airgo. "If the spec only includes what was expedient over six months ago for a few silicon suppliers to implement, then the consumer will go without for years to come. This is definitely not the way the open process is intended to work."

Intel, however, said those fears are unfounded. "The purpose of the EWC is to accelerate the process," said Amy Martin, an Intel spokeswoman. "We have a cross section of companies, and we plan to build consensus within the IEEE. We felt like this was right way go about it doing that.

"The goal is to make this an open standard," Martin added. "That's why there are 27 companies involved and more are invited to join."

Intel, Broadcom, Atheros and Marvell have opened their coalition to all comers. But some IEEE members are still concerned by the steps Intel has taken to try to get its standard approved.

At the very least, analysts say it is bad public relations, especially for Intel, which is already involved in the stalled ultra wideband standards process.

"It just doesn't look good," Fairpoint's Mathias said. "What Intel and the others have done may or may not be illegal, but this is definitely not the process that people at the IEEE had in mind for developing the standard."

Several analysts said that this is nothing new and that the self-interest of individual companies often bleeds into the standards-making process without egregiously damaging the industry.

"This happens all the time," said Dave Passmore, an analyst at the Burton Group. "When you have working prototypes and real products in the market, it gets harder and more costly to make changes so that it complies with the standard. Nobody wants to do that. So infighting and politics is just life."

For the most part, companies want to see some sort of agreement sooner rather than later.

"We just want to see companies come together," said Nokia's van Waes. "So if the Intel-led proposal helps focus companies on the standards process, that is a good thing. I wouldn't say that it has slowed things down or confused things. But we'll see how flexible everyone is going forward."

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computerworld.co.nz
Big players push for 802.11n standard
Several companies are working on a new wireless specification
By Peter Judge and John Blau, London | Monday, 17 October, 2005

More than two dozen leading wireless LAN companies have formed an industry coalition to create and submit a spec for the IEEE’s next generation wireless LAN standard — 802.11n.

The Enhanced Wireless Consortium (EWC) says it aims to break a deadlock and speed up ratification of the 802.11n standard, which may go as fast as 600Mbit/s. The 27 members include big wi-fi players such as Atheros, Broadcom, Cisco and Intel, but omit one significant vendor, Airgo.

“These members represent a good cross-section of the two groups that were unable to agree to an 802.11n standard as part of the IEEE standardisation process,” says Gwen Carlson, a spokeswoman at Conexant Systems, which is an EWC member.

For the past several months, two camps had argued bitterly over a standard. Both have failed to achieve the majority support required by the IEEE. In the one camp was the World-Wide Spectrum Efficiency (WWiSE) group, which included Conexant and the player absent from EWC, Airgo. In the other corner was TGnSync, backed by Intel and Atheros among others.

WWISE and TGnSync had agreed in August to develop a compromise solution within the IEEE, but the group now calling itself EWC emerged last month as an Intel-led coalition outside the IEEE, including members of both factions.

EWC members will continue to work within the IEEE Task Group “N” in an effort to agree on an 802.11n standard, according to Carlson. However, WWISe and TGnSync did not return Computerworld calls by deadline.

Carlson says the EWC specification will benefit users by, among other things, ensuring interoperability of next-generation wireless producers across a range of brands and platforms, such as PCs, handheld devices and networking systems.

The planned 802.11n standard will significantly boost throughput on wi-fi systems. The EWC specification aims to support speeds of up to 600Mbit/s. That compares to today’s 802.11a and 802.11g throughput of 20Mbit/s to 24Mbit/s.

The EWC specification includes a number of other technical elements, such as mixed-mode interoperability with 802.11a, b and g networks, use of 2.4GHz or 5GHz unlicenced bands (thus matching the frequency plan of existing 802.11 devices), 20MHz or 40MHz channel support and spatial multiplexing modes for simultaneous transmission using up to four antennas.

The specification will also support 4 x 4 MIMO (multiple-input/multiple-output) technology, according to Carlson.

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EWC
Enhanced Wireless Consortium

The Enhanced Wireless Consortium (EWC) was formed to help accelerate the IEEE 802.11n development process and promote a technology specification for interoperability of next-generation wireless local area networking (WLAN) products.

Further

EMC- Press release

Wireless Industry Leaders Promote Next-Generation Wi-Fi Technology to Accelerate IEEE Standards Development

Enhanced Wireless Consortium to Enable Ecosystem of Interoperable, High-Speed Wireless LAN Solutions In Advance of 802.11n Standard

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Oct. 10, 2005 – Twenty seven Wi-Fi® industry leaders today announced a coalition formed to accelerate the IEEE 802.11n standard development process and promote a technology specification for next-generation wireless local area networking (WLAN) products. By introducing a specification with widespread industry support, the Enhanced Wireless Consortium (EWC) hopes to speed ratification of an 802.11n standard, while enabling an ecosystem of high-performance WLAN products built to a common set of guidelines. This widely adopted specification will benefit consumers by, among other things, ensuring the interoperability of next-generation wireless products across a variety of brands and platforms.

The Enhanced Wireless Consortium has developed a specification that is designed to enable consumers to enjoy new levels of wireless performance, coverage and interoperability prior to ratification of an 802.11n standard. The EWC specification defines technologies that address the PC and networking equipment market, as well as emerging handheld and consumer electronic applications. The consortium has designed its specification to support speeds of up to 600 Mbps, and is considering the inclusion of other advanced technologies – including Space Time Block Coding (STBC) and beamforming – that will enable systems to deliver greater range for wireless products across multiple market segments and support advanced multimedia applications.

The EWC will make its draft product specification available for public download and will provide implementation rights to all silicon suppliers and system vendors who join the organization. Among the current members are Airoha, Apple, Atheros, Azimuth, Broadcom, Buffalo, Cisco Systems, Conexant, D-Link, Gateway, Intel Corporation, Lenovo, Linksys, LitePoint, Marvell, Metalink, NETGEAR, Ralink, Realtek, SANYO, Sony, Symbol Technologies, Toshiba, USRobotics, WildPackets, Winbond and ZyDAS. If the EWC specification is ratified by the IEEE, EWC members have agreed to make their intellectual property (IP) necessary to the specification available to all parties on reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) terms.

Members of the EWC will continue to work within the IEEE Task Group "N" to facilitate a ratified 802.11n standard. Its specification includes many elements of previous proposals, which will accelerate the completion of a merged proposal draft within the official IEEE timeline.

Technical Highlights

The EWC specification comprises a number of technical elements, including:

* Mixed-mode interoperability with 802.11a/b/g networks – provides enhanced performance while maintaining communication with legacy devices;
* PHY transmission rates up to 600Mbps – supports applications requiring high data rates (such as transmitting multiple HDTV streams), and reduces battery drain by minimizing the time required to send and receive data streams;
* Enhanced efficiency MAC with frame aggregation – brings actual throughput closer to the raw PHY rate, providing end users with at least 100 Mbps application level bandwidth;
* Use of 2.4GHz and/or 5GHz unlicensed bands – matches the frequency plan of existing 802.11 devices;
* 20MHz and/or 40MHz channel support – uses more of the wireless spectrum when available to enhance performance;
* Spatial multiplexing modes for simultaneous transmission using 1 to 4 antennas – increases robustness of wireless connections to support very high data rates;
* Enhanced range via multiple antennas and advanced coding – provides for a wider coverage area with consistent wireless speeds.

For additional information about the Enhanced Wireless Consortium and a complete listing of member companies, please visit www.enhancedwirelessconsortium.org.
Addendum of Quotes from EWC Members

Airoha Technology Corporation
"Airoha has been closely watching the status of the IEEE 802.11n standard and supports the EWC's efforts to speed its ratification," said Michael Lu, CEO of Airoha. "We feel that by bringing a widely-accepted specification to the IEEE, the EWC is taking the lead to hasten the standards process."

Atheros Communications, Inc.
"The EWC specification combines the best features of the TGn Sync and WWiSE proposals to accelerate agreement within the IEEE. We believe the EWC is the catalyst necessary to establish an IEEE standard that will drive adoption of high-performance WLAN devices. Early availability of interoperable products will benefit consumers and, ultimately, the entire WLAN industry," said Craig Barratt, president and chief executive officer of Atheros.

Azimuth Systems
"As the leader in Wi-Fi engineering test equipment, Azimuth knows the importance of timely delivery of standard tools in bringing new technology to market," said Jeff Abramowitz, vice president of marketing for Azimuth Systems. "We have been aggressively developing our next generation test solutions and are eager to support the EWC's effort to accelerate the 802.11n standard."

Broadcom Corporation
"By joining with other W-Fi leaders to create a specification for high-performance interoperable wireless solutions, Broadcom hopes to accelerate the IEEE process," said Michael Hurlston, general manager of Broadcom's Home & Wireless Networking Business Unit. "We intend to meet customer demand for networked wireless products that have the bandwidth and quality of service necessary to deliver exciting new data, video, and voice services in the home and the office."

Buffalo Inc.
"As a leading Wi-Fi solution provider, Buffalo combines state-of-the-art wireless technologies to make the user's experience easy and stable, while delivering the highest performance," said Kuniaki Saiki, president of Buffalo Inc. "By joining the Enhanced Wireless Consortium, we expect to accelerate the introduction of high-speed, interoperable products and further enrich the user experience in the home, small office and enterprise."

Cisco Systems, Inc.
"Cisco has a strong commitment to the standards process, and supports the Enhanced Wireless Consortium and its goal of helping accelerate 802.11n standardization," said Brett Galloway, vice president and general manager of Cisco's Wireless Networking Business Unit. "We believe that accelerating this effort is in the best interest of customers as they continue to deploy more advanced, content-rich services and applications over their wireless networks."

Conexant Systems, Inc.
"Conexant is a strong advocate of standards-based products, and we joined the Enhanced Wireless Consortium to help drive an industry-wide consensus on an 802.11n specification," said Chee Kwan, vice president and general manager of Conexant's Wireless Networking business. "Achieving this important milestone quickly will help to ensure the early availability of interoperable, higher performance wireless LAN products, which benefits both end-users and wireless networking solutions providers."

D-Link Systems, Inc.
"Technology users are best served when the technology designers, developers and manufacturers work together to deliver standards that meet a range of objectives like those in the EWC specification, which embrace the needs of the users in the long run," said AJ Wang, chief technology officer for D-Link. "The fundamental principle for building industry standards is to create the next generation of interoperable, performance, range and security solutions in an open environment for compatibility and variety, where the market is right-sized through competition."

Intel Corporation
"Intel is committed to advancing the adoption of standards, and participation in the Enhanced Wireless Consortium is one way we hope to accelerate the adoption of a final IEEE 802.11n standard," said Jim Johnson, vice president and general manager of Intel's Wireless Networking Group. "By joining with numerous other industry players, we hope to speed ratification of the standard as well as jointly develop a common guideline to deliver interoperable solutions in the interim."

Lenovo International
"Lenovo is dedicated to investing in technology that enhances the computing experience of our customers, as we've demonstrated through our award-winning ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkVantage Technologies," said Howard Dulany, worldwide marketing manager for wireless products at Lenovo. "We're looking forward to working closely with the EWC on developing wireless standards that create a more robust yet simplified environment for mobile consumers and workforces."

Linksys, a Division of Cisco Systems, Inc.
"Linksys is committed to driving specifications that help enhance the speed, range and security of networking products for consumers, as standards are essential to mass adoption and acceptance of any new technology," said Malachy Moynihan, Linksys Vice President of Engineering and Product Marketing. "The EWC's efforts to advance WLAN technology towards the industry's ultimate goal of a 802.11n standard will help provide the public with products that simplify their lifestyle at home, on the road or in the office."

LitePoint Corporation
"Users of wireless products want standards. They want to be free to pick the products that best meet their needs without giving thought to interoperability. Through the Enhanced Wireless Consortium, we will arrive at an IEEE 802.11n standard sooner, giving users that freedom," said Benny Madsen, CEO of LitePoint. "LitePoint, the leading supplier of one-box test equipment for Wi-Fi and MIMO, will continue to support the test requirements for emerging wireless technologies. When the chipsets are ready, LitePoint will be there with competitive test solutions."

Marvell
"Consumers are demanding increasingly complex products that require higher data rates and expanded range. It is in the best interest of the market to accelerate the development of the 802.11n standard to meet this demand," said Dr. Paramesh Gopi, General Manager of Marvell's Embedded and Emerging Business Unit. "Joint development of the 802.11n spec between Marvell and the other EWC members is the fastest path to reach a decision on the new specification, and ultimately deliver leading edge products into the hands of consumers."

Metalink Broadband, Ltd.
"The convergence of consumer electronics and PC worlds requires a new grade of networking. Networks based on 802.11n are positioned to become the infrastructure for the broadband home," said Tzvika Shukhman, chairman and CEO of Metalink. "We believe that the establishment of the EWC will speed up the creation of a successful standard for wireless LAN, enabling a wide array of new, rich multimedia applications such as the delivery of multiple HDTV streams throughout the home."

NETGEAR, Inc.
"Our customers are demanding innovation in wireless networking to support the applications of tomorrow, and multi-vendor interoperability is just as important to them as speed, range, and security," said Mark Merrill, chief technology officer of NETGEAR. "As a leader in the networking industry enabling connectivity for computing and consumer electronics devices, we are pleased that our technology partners are collaborating to accelerate the realization of the next generation of advanced wireless solutions that will be multi-vendor interoperable."

Ralink Technology Corporation
"The EWC brings together the best ideas from the 802.11n task group for implementation, and we are happy to participate" said Dr. Dennis Lo, senior vice president of Ralink Technology. "This initiative will ultimately streamline the ratification process by building a wide industry consensus, and will broaden the WLAN market by bringing interoperable, high-speed products to the multimedia market. In the end, the consumer will win by having this tremendous technology available sooner in a wide array of wireless data, voice and video products."

Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
"We are pleased with the establishment of the Enhanced Wireless Consortium and believe that this collaboration will speed the release of the 802.11n standard," said Alex Chiu, president of Realtek Semiconductor. "This makes it possible for the WLAN industry to accelerate development of wireless technologies and speedily provide new-generation interoperable, high-performance, and wide-coverage wireless solutions that enable construction of the digital home and offer the convenience of digital living."

Toshiba
"Toshiba wants to contribute to standardization of the next-generation wireless LAN, and EWC is clearly the best forum for doing so," said Mutsuhiro Arinobu, director of Toshiba's Corporate Research and Development Center. "The EWC initiative is bringing the industry to a consensus standard for WLAN that will boost speed and range and offer improved usability to consumers. It will provide a strong stimulus for growth and development in PC, AV and handheld applications markets."

USRobotics
"USRobotics believes in the adoption of standards to ensure the highest level of vendor interoperability for our customers. By joining the EWC and supporting the specification within the IEEE, we hope to accelerate the availability of next generation wireless solutions to provide industry-leading performance, maximum coverage and just as importantly, multi-vendor interoperability," said Joseph Hartnett, president and CEO of USRobotics.

WildPackets
"This vendor group represents a very strong presence in the wireless industry, from chips to analyzers, forming the necessary catalyst to bring cohesion to the 802.11n effort and accelerate wireless adoption. WildPackets has always been aggressive in supporting the manufacturing community in their development of interoperable hardware to support new standards through the visualization of the packets underlying these standards," said Bill Northlich, vice president of technology and product management for WildPackets.

Winbond Electronics Corp.
"The next step in WLAN evolution is long overdue," said Jonathan Wang, AVP of Network Access Products at Winbond. "The EWC brings new vigor to the standardization process. The interoperable baseline will enable creativity in WLAN technologies to serve the particular needs of the PC, CE and mobile products in a scalable fashion. As such, Winbond is eager to share its wireless networking expertise with this group interested in fostering a healthy diversity of solution providers that will benefit consumers."

ZyDAS Technology Corporation
"The EWC will help to build an interoperable specification and accelerate the 802.11n standard building process. As an 802.11 a/b/g chipsets provider, ZyDAS will keep supporting the upcoming 802.11n standard and is glad to join this constructive and productive group," said Wayne Hwang, president of ZyDAS.

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Intel leads 400Mbps wireless charge
Marguerite Reardon
CNET News.com
October 10, 2005, 09:35 BST

Several Wi-Fi manufacturers plan to push for standardisation of MIMO, which could support speeds of over 400Mbps

Leading Wi-Fi chip manufacturers will be announcing a new industry forum on Monday to help accelerate efforts to create a new, faster Wi-Fi standard, says a source close to the companies.

Intel, Broadcom, Marvel and Atheros have sidestepped the IEEE's process to work on a draft of the new 802.11n standard, which the vendors plan to submit to the IEEE's working group for consideration, sources say.

The goal of the forum is to help accelerate the IEEE process, which has been mired in political infighting between two different groups. The forum is likely to further aggravate this split in the technology community.

The new standard will likely be based on a technology called multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) which could boost throughput on wireless LANs to over 300Mbps. The 802.11a and 11g standards used today provide throughput between 20Mbps and 24Mbps.

MIMO works by allowing two or more distinct signals to be transmitted over the same 802.11 radio channel at the same time with no interference. This allows more data to be sent over the available radio spectrum than is possible with standard transmissions today.

For the past several months, the standards effort has been bitterly divided into two main camps. On one side is a group calling itself the Task Group 'n' synchronisation, or TGn Sync. It is supported by Intel, Atheros, Nortel, Samsung, Sony, Qualcomm, Philips and Panasonic. The other side is World-Wide Spectrum Efficiency, or WWiSE. This group is led by Airgo Networks, which is currently the only company shipping chips that use MIMO technology, along with Broadcom, Motorola, Nokia, France Telecom, Texas Instruments and NTT.

Earlier this year, the two groups came to a deadlock after the TGn Sync proposal failed to get the necessary votes to push it forward in the process. Since then, members of the two groups have been working to develop a new joint proposal.

An initial draft of the new proposal is expected to be introduced at the IEEE meeting in November, with a more detailed draft scheduled for the January meeting. If all goes well, the new standard would be ratified in early 2007.

Intel declined to comment on this story. Broadcom, Marvel, and Atheros did not return phone calls.

CNET News.com's Michael Singer and Dawn Kawamoto contributed to this report.

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