WiMedia Alliance Certifies First Ultra-Wideband Products

Monday, October 8th, 2007

Eight Members Obtain Official Platform Certification for WiMedia-Based Silicon

SAN RAMON, Calif. — The WiMedia™ Alliance today announced the first silicon products certified on its Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Common Radio Platform. A total of 12 platforms from WiMedia members Alereon, Inc., Artimi, Inc., Intel, Realtek Semiconductor Corporation, Staccato Communications, Tzero Technologies, WiQuest
Communications and Wisair have successfully completed both phases of the Alliance’s compliance and interoperability testing, paving the way for the introduction of WiMedia-based end-user devices in the personal computing, consumer electronics and mobile device markets.

“This is a pivotal development for UWB,” said Stephen Wood, president of the WiMedia Alliance. “WiMedia Platform Certification ensures a high-level of interoperability among WiMedia-based applications and provides assurance to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that products incorporating WiMedia Certified platforms will operate with minimal interference from other devices, enabling a positive user experience for their customers. With certified platforms available, manufacturers can begin utilizing WiMedia UWB in their consumer products at an accelerated rate.”

Silicon certified on the WiMedia platform provides the foundation for a number of high-speed wireless protocols, including next generation Bluetooth and Wireless USB. Utilizing the WiMedia specifications, these applications provide low power consumption and data rates of up to 480 Mbps in the wireless personal area network (WPAN).

The WiMedia Alliance has held a series of interoperability testing events since its certification program was launched in early 2006. These events have helped ready products for advancement in the certification program, leading to the establishment of certified platforms. Successful platform certification would not have been possible without the support of WiMedia members Agilent Technologies, Inc., Ellisys, Intel, LeCroy Corporation and WiQuest Communications, who provided facilities, test equipment and skilled technical resources to the Alliance and participating vendors.

WiMedia Certified platforms undergo two phases of rigorous testing against the Alliance’s international UWB standards (ISO/IEC 26907 and 26908). In the first phase, vendors test and “register” Physical Layer implementations (PHYs) based on the WiMedia PHY specification. Registered PHYs are then combined with a Media Access Control (MAC) layer and submitted for certification as a complete platform. Platforms that successfully complete each level of the certification program are granted official platform certification. This designation ensures that certified platforms will coexist with other certified platforms, and perform as expected, according to specifications.