Posted: 11th Dec, 2009 By: MarkJ

Regulator Ofcom has ruled to open spectrum in the 59 - 64GHz band for use by Fixed Wireless Systems (FWS) under a licence exempt authorisation approach. The move coincides with an announcement by the
Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig), which has just developed the first specification for a new Wi-Fi (802.11) compatible wireless network that can support data transmission rates of up to 7Gbps via the 60GHz band.
Dr. Ali Sadri, President and Chairman of WiGig, said:
“When we launched the WiGig Alliance in May, we announced our plan to complete the industry’s first unified 60 GHz specification by Q4 2009, and we are proud to deliver on this promise to the industry. We’re rapidly paving the way for the introduction of the next generation of high‐performance wireless products – PCs, mobile handsets, TVs and displays, Blu‐ray disc players, digital cameras and many more.”
Specification Highlights
The WiGig version 1.0 specification includes the following key elements:
* Supports data transmission rates up to 7 Gbps – more than ten times faster than the highest 802.11n rate.
* Supplements and extends the 802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) layer and is backward compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard.
* Physical layer enables both the low power and the high performance WiGig devices, guaranteeing interoperability and communication at gigabit rates.
* Protocol adaptation layers are being developed to support specific system interfaces including data buses for PC peripherals and display interfaces for HDTVs, monitors and projectors.
* Support for beamforming, enabling robust communication at distances beyond 10 meters.
* Widely used advanced security and power management for WiGig devices.
Ofcom expects to officially introduce the changes during next summer with the publication of its Final Regulatory Statement on licence exemption and exemption regulations. Meanwhile the completed WiGig specification is now ready for member review and is anticipated to be made available to adopter members in Q1 2010.