STMicroelectronics has joined the Enhanced Wireless Consortium (EWC), a coalition of Wi-Fi industry leaders formed in October.
The group, which includes such powerhouses as Intel, Broadcom and Atheros, aims to accelerate and promote development of the IEEE 802.11n.
ST is no stranger to 802.11n, a next-generation Wi-Fi standard based on Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology that is expected to be capable of sustaining higher data throughput over an extended range. The France-based company has also worked within an earlier consortium, known as Worldwide Spectrum Efficiency (WWiSE). WWISE’s technical submissions have now largely been absorbed into the EWC draft specification.
ST’s attraction to the WLAN has to do with its promised improved power management for handheld devices. The focus of ST’s wireless network activities is on Wi-Fi/cellular phone convergence, whereby a single device such as a handset can operate under a range of protocols. It aims to bring to EWC its expertise in low-power SoC technologies, to ensure that the new high throughput features are fully compatible with the requirements of handheld devices.
“Accelerating the delivery of an enhanced 802.11n public standard can only benefit the wireless LAN market, and ST is pleased to join EWC to assist in this aim,” said Edoardo Merli, deputy general manager of ST’s wireless LAN business unit, in a statement. “Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output, MIMO technology delivers significant improvements in throughput, as well as greater range and more reliable links – all key requirements for the fast growing converged Wi-Fi/cellular device market.”