IEEE approves FireWire speed boost

New FireWire standards enable data transfer rates of 1.6Gbps and 3.2Gbps

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has approved upgrades to the 1394 FireWire specification that will see data transfer rates of up to 3.2Gbps.

New S1600 and S3200 standards enable data transfer rates of 1.6Gbps and 3.2Gbps respectively. The new rates boost transfer speeds from the current rates of 400Mbps.

"The new standard includes all of the amendments, enhancements and more than 100 errata which have been added to the base standard over the past 12 years," said Les Baxter, chairman of the working group which developed the standard.

"This update provides developers with a single document they can rely on for all their application needs."

The announcement could breathe new life into the data transfer technology, which some analysts have predicted is in terminal decline.

However, it will still face stiff competition from USB which will shortly see data speeds upgraded from 480Mbps to 4.8Gbps with the new USB 3.0 standard, which is expected in the next two years.