New Wireless Tech: 100x the Speed of Wi-Fi

Tue Oct 23, 2007 11:39AM EDT

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The "fast" 802.11n connection on your laptop is suddenly looking scrawny and weak. IBM now wants you to cruise along at a clip of 2.5 gigabits per second, which would distantly eclipse current Wi-Fi technologies, which max out in the realm of 100 megabits per second.

IBM and partner MediaTek are using the 60GHz spectrum to achieve the breakthrough. Called "millimeter wave" or "extremely high frequency" the technology is expected to be a big part of CES come January. The technology is best with short range operations and is susceptible to interference, which might indeed make it a good candidate as a local area wireless standard, a la Wi-Fi. Today, millimeter wave technology is primarily used in radio astronomy on high-altitude observatories. The 60GHz band is unlicensed and is also often used for point-to-point data links in flat, obstruction-free terrain. It is essentially wide open for personal computer technologies like this.

The short wavelength of 60GHz also means smaller radios and antennas can be used. Check out the photo to see how small the prototype of IBM's chip is, another boon for portable electronics.

While 60GHz is untested in personal computer applications, the tech looks promising, as its long history of use in general radio applications shows that there's at least some track record of success. IBM hopes to have something on the market in the next three years.

LINK: More than 100 times faster than Wi-Fi? 

Comments on New Wireless Tech: 100x the Speed of Wi-Fi

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  • 1 Posted by rogueist on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    AT&T claims they have a 25 Gbit wireless technology ALREADY available - but they wont release it.

  • 2 Posted by somebodys_here on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    rogueist, I think AT&T is probably just blowing steam. Making other manufacturers seem behind; not a bad idea as it may make the other technologies come at a faster rate.

  • 3 Posted by brozenec on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:14PM EDT Report Abuse

    1. I'm not sure how a superfast transmitter from my router to my laptop will be noticed if the information flow to the router (via cable) remains the same. 2. I consider myself an "average" user. My DSL provides uninterupted streaming video, most downloads take seconds, maybe a few minutes and I rarely find myself "waiting". Is there a point of diminishing return on the speed? Just because we can fly at the speed of sound, do I really need that kind of speed to cross the street?

  • 4 Posted by final_station on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    What would be wonderful would be a 10000 times the distance of my current wi-fi so I could log on to the net from anywhere with out any wireless contract other than my isp. So far it is rare that I do transfers between my computers in gigabytes, only when I am backing up.

  • 5 Posted by ittbattlesship on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    i agree with final_station, these large capacities for data transfer always seem to lack range, and brozenec touched on an extremely valuable point. It makes no sense to have a wireless system in your home running at 100 Mbps when your ISP can only supply you with 2.9 Mbps. It's about time someone started working on wireless technology with range so that ISP's can offer at least 50 Mbps no problem. Even fiber networks have issues with bandwidth and speed. I say its time we universally adopt one system of data transfer and stick with it. I'm tired of having to "bluetooth" this or "Wi-Fi" that or "LAN" something else. To do away with the multitude of differing protocols would simplify communications to the point of "oh hi would like some tea with that download", as Verizon wireless puts it. To give you a proper idea of what my noodle sees, imagine if you will a radio station, an HD TV station, and a server system for a web hosting company all transmitting over the same medium. Now, imagine that this is all done wirelessly. Why should radio and tv stations transmit over both radio and internet to reach their viewers. If all our devices: TV's, cell phones, laptops, desktops, stereos, mp3 players, could communicate TO AND THROUGH each other this 2.5 Gbps would revolutionize the commmunications industry as we know it, by allowing everyone's devices to be the transmitters and receivers for data transmission.

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