WiGig is a certification brand for the 60 GHz wireless LAN standard (802.11ad) developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Its theoretical maximum transmission speed is 7 Gbps, which is 10 times that of existing 2.4 GHz WiFi and 2 times that of 5 GHz WiFi. This speed allows you to download a full HD movie (4 to 10?) in 1 to 2 seconds.

Until now, the use of the 60 GHz band has not been widespread due to the characteristics of radio waves, which suffer from severe signal attenuation in the air. However, since the development of the 60 GHz band wireless LAN standard was completed in 2012, global manufacturers such as Samsung and Intel are accelerating the development of chipsets that support 7 Gbps-class ultra-high-speed communication, including uncompressed high-definition (HD) video transmission over short distances of about 10 meters, with the goal of launching them in the second half of this year.

When WiGig chipsets are installed in televisions, computers, smartphones, cameras, projectors, etc., they can wirelessly receive uncompressed ultra-high definition (UHD, 3840×2160 resolution) video and display it smoothly without interruption, so they can be utilized not only for ultra-high-speed networks but also for virtual reality games and the construction of wireless projector conference rooms.

The industry expects various products equipped with WiGig chipsets, such as laptops and mobile phones, to be released within this year, and market research firm ABI Research forecasts that the global WiGig chipset market will grow at an average annual rate of 157%. It is predicted that shipments will reach approximately 100 million units in 2019 due to continued high growth.

"The head of the Frequency Policy Division at the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said, 'With the revision of these technical standards, ultra-high-speed, large-capacity data transmission over short distances will become possible, eliminating the need for wired connections between office equipment and revitalizing various convergence industries such as smart offices, high-definition home theaters, and multi-gigabit home networks.'"

In addition, it was stated, “While the existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi markets have been led by global companies such as Broadcom and Intel, domestic companies are preparing to enter the 60 GHz WiGig market from the early stages, which is expected to contribute to securing competitiveness in the wireless data communication product market.”

Photo Caption: (Reference Photo) Researchers demonstrating next-generation 60GHz Wi-Fi technology at Samsung Electronics' DMC Research Center in Suwon Digital City last October.