Race kicks off for next-gen 802.11n Wi-Fi

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has finally voted to accept the proposed next-generation 802.11n Wi-Fi standard developed by the Enhanced Wireless Consortium.

The proposed 802.11n standard will enable higher performance wireless local area networking, supporting speeds of up to 600Mbps with greater range than existing Wi-Fi technologies.

Two US vendors, Broadcom and Marvell, were both quick off the mark on the same day, claiming to be first to market with a compatible product.

Broadcom announced the availability and sampling of its Intensi-fi family of Wi-Fi chipsets which comply with, and incorporate all mandatory elements of, the IEEE 802.11n draft specification.

Broadcom's offering is designed to be software upgradeable once the standard is finalised, the company said.

To this end, Broadcom will continue to participate in the standards process through ratification, ensuring that its solutions comply with the final 802.11n specification.

Rival vendor Marvell, meanwhile, claims that its 88W836X chipset family, first unveiled in October 2005, complies 100 per cent with the IEEE 802.11n draft specification.

Reference designs based on the 88W836X family are currently being used by OEMs and ODMs, the company said.