Wi-Fi targets TVs and mobiles

The Wi-Fi Alliance has unveiled a certification initiative that aims to set the stage for rapid development of Wi-Fi networking in consumer electronic devices such as DVD players, mobile phones and televisions.

The Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) certification has been created in response to strong industry demand, according to the WiFi Alliance.

It is designed to allow consumer electronic product manufactures to include Wi-Fi with WMM support in their product plans.

"The demand for Wi-Fi consumer electronic product connectivity is expected to grow significantly, and WMM will provide a strong foundation for that growth," said Wi-Fi Alliance managing director Frank Hanzlik in a statement.

"In fact, we see this action jumpstarting the coming mainstream adoption of Wi-Fi in the consumer electronics market segment.

"The demand for multimedia support in telephony and other consumer electronic products has skyrocketed in recent months and is forecast to grow at an unprecedented rate."

Cisco Systems, Atheros Communications, Intel and Philips have already unveiled products including access points and Wi-Fi cards that support the emerging standard.