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HomeRF WG Will Enable High-Bandwidth Audio, Video and Increased Voice Capacity In Wireless Home Networks

While current products based on SWAP 1.3 from companies such as Intel, Cayman, Proxim and Compaq will support today's popular home networking applications, the enhanced speeds will ensure that the HomeRF specification will continue meeting the maturing market needs for the home, small office and service providers.

As a result of this ruling, HomeRF now offers a fully integrated, high-speed voice and data networking specification. This will allow service providers of numerous types to offer innovative new services for homes and small offices. The attractiveness of new revenue streams and increased customer retention will foster service provider adoption and deployment of HomeRF-based technology and help drive the home networking market.

``The HomeRF WG commends the FCC for its insight and understanding of the marketplace and for having the foresight to make this ruling, which will greatly benefit consumers and industry, and facilitate the growth of the wireless home networking market,'' said Ben Manny, chairman of the HomeRF WG. ``The FCC's decision positively impacts the hundreds of companies working to make the future of wireless home networking a reality. The HomeRF WG is now in a position not only to meet the needs of today's home networking market, but also to enable the future of home wireless connectivity.''

In recognition of the future needs for higher-bandwidth applications, the HomeRF WG and others, including Intel, Compaq, Proxim and Siemens, petitioned the FCC in September 1998. This petition requested that frequency-hopping spread-spectrum devices be permitted to increase speeds by modulating more spectrum during each hop within the 2.4GHz ISM frequency band. The change allows the HomeRF WG to fully leverage the capability of the frequency, creating a seamless upgrade path to 10 Mbps, while allowing backward compatibility for current products. The HomeRF WG and its members have already built lab prototypes that successfully achieve these higher data rates with little or no increase in costs, substantially improving price/performance ratios.

``The FCC ruling to allow for wide band frequency hopping well positions the Home RF Working Group to provide a road map to the Connected Home of the future to its members,'' said Mike Wolf, Director of Enterprise and Residential Services at Cahners In-Stat Group. ``Higher speeds, coupled with the inherent voice channel support of the Home RF solution, gives service providers the ability to deliver integrated next generation services to the end consumer, which will be crucial in the hyper-competitive broadband services market.''

Service Providers to Fulfill Voice Delivery

With Broadband deployments rapidly escalating, service providers are actively looking to provide their customers with the most value possible from this connection. All Broadband Service providers will benefit from delivering voice and data around the home with the mobility wireless provides.

``Charter Communications is always looking for a way to give consumers maximum value from our connection to their home,'' said Steve Silva, senior vice president, corporate development and technology for Charter Communications, Inc. ``Delivering voice, data and multimedia services over our digital network, and the ability to distribute those services wirelessly throughout the home, presents an exciting opportunity for our customers. Networks like those from HomeRF that marry voice and data will make it easier for consumers to access and benefit from the services we deliver, and at lower cost.''

New Applications Proliferate

While previous applications of SWAP, such as data and peripheral sharing and shared Internet access anywhere in and around the home, remain intact, this ruling clears the way for innovative new applications. HomeRF envisions members developing products that take advantage of more bandwidth.

``Dolby Labs is pleased to see FCC approval of HomeRF's petition for Rule Change. With 10 Mbps bandwidth, consumers will be able to enjoy the benefits of streaming all the popular downloadable Internet audio formats including MP3 and AAC without interrupting other network activity,'' said Bob Brummer, director of technology strategy, Dolby Laboratories. ``In addition, consumers can now stream real-time Dolby Digital 5.1 multi-channel audio from DVD-Video/Audio, Satellite, Cable, and Advanced Television Broadcasts wirelessly through the home. We believe that these data rates will open up a new class of audio products including wireless surround speakers, high-quality networked digital jukeboxes, and Internet radios.''

About The HomeRF Working Group

Launched in March 1998, the Home Radio Frequency Working Group has developed a single specification (the Shared Wireless Access Protocol - SWAP) for a broad range of interoperable consumer devices. SWAP is an open industry specification that allows PCs, peripherals, cordless telephones and other consumer electronic devices to share and communicate voice and data in and around the home without the complication and expense associated with running new wires. SWAP-compliant products operate in the license-free 2.4 GHz frequency band and utilize frequency-hopping spread spectrum RF technology for secure and robust wireless communications. The current membership of the group reaches nearly 100 companies and is made up of leading companies across the PC, consumer electronics, networking, peripherals, communications, software, retail channel, home control and semiconductor industries worldwide. For more information and a complete list of members, please visit the web site at http://www.homerf.org

     Contact:  Aaron Dun
               Lois Paul & Partners
               781-238-5784
               aaron_dun@lpp.com

SOURCE: The HomeRF Working Group