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WiFi enthusiasts have an alliance of their own

September 3, 2002

SAN RAMON, Calif. -- Saying wireless technology needs standardized practices as it pushes toward technological and marketplace ubiquity, officials from nine technology companies on Sept. 3 announced the launch of the WiMedia Alliance.

The non-profit forum's aim is to create and adopt formal standards for the wireless multimedia industry. Arral Industries, Info Touch Technologies Corp., and nReach are among companies currently developing kiosk-based wireless delivery methods for Internet access and downloadable files.

WiMedia plans to create a certification program for the adoption of wire-free imaging and multimedia solutions. The goal is to encourage greater consumer acceptance of the technology through the creation of a wireless standard and WiMedia branding of complying products.

Initial efforts will be built around the high-data rate IEEE 802.15.3 draft standard. Future efforts will focus on such wireless systems as ultra-wideband.

"WiMedia creates a personal area wireless capability not addressed by any current standard," John Barr, acting president of WiMedia Alliance and director of standards realization for Motorola Inc., said in a news release. "Our activity targets high data-rate multimedia connectivity with low-power needs, and therefore enables a broad range of applications in the consumer appliance, imaging, and multimedia markets."

Participating companies in WiMedia include Appairent Technologies Inc., Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE:EK), Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ), Motorola (NYSE:MOT), Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sharp Laboratories of America Inc., Time Domain Corp., and XtremeSpectrum Inc.

[Editor's note: Info Touch Technologies became Tio Networks in April 2006.]