Wi-Fi standard debuts to face many challenges: patent disputes may slow 802.11's ratification, adoption - Semiconductors - Technology Information

Electronic News, Nov 11, 2002 by Tom Murphy

As Wi-Fi technology starts to come into high demand, it is also starting to feel growing pains. The technology is mired in patent dispute litigation and unsettled standards--issues that are causing headaches throughout the industry.

At the annual Comdex confab, 802.11 wireless LAN (WLAN) technology will be in full flight as industry big wigs such as Intel Corp. have given it a significant push toward rapid deployment. One of WLAN's biggest new initiatives is the as-yet-to-be-ratified 802.llg technology, which features longer range and the greatest bandwidth.

Intersil Corp. is now touring the country making the case for its 802.llg technology. Intersil is a pioneer in 802.llb technology and with the addition of its Prism GT solution, it promises to have a full suite of chipsets covering 802.lla, -b, and -g.

"G is going to catch a lot of people off-guard in terms of its price-performance," said Chris Henningsen, VP of marketing for Intersil.

Although the IEEE has not yet officially adopted 802.llg as a standard, all the basic provisions for the technology aren't about to change before the standards body finally adopts it, Henningsen said.

While 802.lla is widely regarded for its capability to deliver 54 Mbits/sec. over the airwaves, the frequency of the transmission has been seen as a barrier-5 GHz just does not penetrate walls as well as 802.llb technology, which transmits in the 2.4GHz range, Henningsen said.

Another big believer in 802.11g technology is Broadcom Corp. The company was expected to be a player in the 802.11 field but has been flying below the radar in terms of having products for 802.11a and -b.

"We've seen a groundswell of support for 802.llg," said Jeff Abramowitz, senior director of LAN networking at Broadcom. "You get greater range than 802.11a and you get more bandwidth than-b."

Abramowitz said 802.llg is also backward compatible with 802.1lb and that instead of dual-band 802.lla/b solutions that companies such as Intel have talked about, the next feasible solution would be dual-band 802.lla/g solutions.

While Intel has pushed for WLAN in the PC space, Henningsen said that consumer electronics companies are really starting to focus on 802.11g technology. For home entertainment systems that carry hard drives for storing hundreds of titles, 802.llg can transmit three channels of CD-quality voice, or DVD-quality video to every room in the home simultaneously, Henningsen said.

But while the argument rages for 802.llg and its adoption, Intersil will have to come to terms with Agere Systems and the cross litigation the companies are embroiled in.

Agere is claiming that Intersil violated its patents for marketing 802.11 chipsets without first acquiring a license from Agere. Agere apparently developed the technology and holds key patents in certain areas. A spokesman for Agere said the company had tried to negotiate a licensing agreement with Intersil but negotiations broke down.

Intersil recently countered Agere with a lawsuit claiming misappropriation of trade secrets. Apparently Agere and Intersil's previous parent company, Harris Semiconductor, co-invested in a company called Choice Semiconductor a few years ago to develop the media access controller for the 802.11 technology. Intersil is claiming Choice's patents fell into Harris' IP portolio and that the IP folded into Intersil's patent portfolio when Harris dissolved. And late last week, Intersil filed a patent infringement countersuit against Agere.

"It does appear that Agere has a strong position," said Lee Bromberg, an IP attorney with Bromberg and Sunstein of New York. But Agere's patents are very broad and cover the technology that was adopted into an industry standard, he said.

Out of litigation, some form of cross-licensing agreement will be reached, Bromberg predicted, but it's likely Agere will get less than it originally wanted and Intersil has to figure out how much in legal costs it is willing to outlay to defend itself.