Alereon and LitePoint to Show Worldwide Wireless USB and Test at CES

(Business News & Technology News, 3 Jan 2008)

Alereon Inc., a provider of advanced WiMedia and wireless USB silicon solutions, and LitePoint Corp., a provider of wireless test-system solutions, will demonstrate at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas what they claim as the most advanced wireless USB reference design and a test capability that spans development, device verification, and high-volume production. Alereon's AL5000-based reference design and LitePoint's test system will highlight band-group 6, the only WiMedia band-group currently approved worldwide.

"While the rest of the market is grappling with partial WiMedia chip solutions, and bolted-together test-instruments for design and verification, Alereon and LitePoint are paving the way for worldwide WiMedia and high-volume production of WiMedia-equipped devices," said Eric Broockman, Alereon's CEO.

"It's great to finally have a chip family that covers the full WiMedia specifications," added LitePoint CEO Benny Madsen. "Now, we actually have a reference design that supports all six band groups and WiMedia data rates. As a result, we can show our single-box test prototype¡¯s ability to support full development and fast, low-cost, high-volume testing."

The WiMedia standard covers wireless replacement of the cables that connect today's electronic marvels. It can eliminate the cable between desktop or laptop and printer; the cable between digital camera or camcorder and TV; as well as supporting wireless communications between two personal media players. WiMedia is a worldwide standard that is the underpinning of both Wireless USB from the USB Implementer's Forum and Bluetooth from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. Covering a wide swath of frequencies (3.1GHz to 10.6GHz) using band-hopping techniques and very low power transmissions, the WiMedia radio provides extremely high data rates while remaining the most battery-efficient way to move large amounts of data.

One of the first WiMedia applications is Certified Wireless USB—a wireless analogy to a wired USB, allowing a wide variety of devices to be attached to an appropriately equipped desktop, laptop, PDA, cell phone, set-top box, and the like. Some market analysts have predicted that the ultimate WiMedia Ultra Wideband (UWB) market will be larger than that of Wi-Fi.

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