The CEISMC Gazette

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Ultra-High Speed Wireless Is On Its Way
by Andrew Kerr
February 2009
The CEISMC Gazette

Haven't you always wanted to transfer a DVD-quality version Twilight to a friend's cell phone in seconds flat? That future is only two or three years away say researchers at Georgia Tech's Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC).

GEDC has developed a tiny chip that can transmit 60 GHz digital RF signals through the air. What that means for you is a ton of new wireless technology options (for example, a wireless DVD player system, in-store kiosks that transfer movies to handheld devices in seconds, and the potential to move gigabytes of photos or video from a camera to a PC almost instantly).

“We believe this new standard represents a major step forward,” said Joy Laskar, a member of the Ecma 60 GHz standards committee and director of the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) at Georgia Tech. “Consumers could see products capable of ultra-fast short-range data transfer within two or three years.”

Ecma, an organization that oversees the standards of internet speed, has set 60 GHz as a standard for multi-gigabyte wireless applications. In a press release, Ecma cited Georgia Tech's GEDC's radio chip in particular, which was demonstrated to them in November. The excitement was only just barely concealed in the modest language of their press release: "The 60 GHz radio transferred 200 Mega byte sized data and image files - literally in less than a second - whereas up to now other wireless technologies took minutes."

How far apart the devices are affects how quickly they transfer data. GEDC researchers say the technology promises to transfer 5 gigabytes per second from a distance of 5 meters, 10 Gbps at 2 meters, and a whopping 15 Gbps from a meter away. Consider that a data DVD holds about 4.7 gigabytes. The contents of even the largest desktop computer hard drives could be transferred in literally seconds.

Some elements of this piece appear in this Georgia Tech press release: "New Wireless Standard Promises Ultra-Fast Media Applications."