Date: 23/07/2012

The Wi-Fi Alliance initiates a task group to build upon Wi-Fi Direct

Wi-Fi Alliance said it has recently initiated a task group to build upon its popular certification for Wi-Fi Direct. The effort is aimed at developing a Wi-Fi Direct Services platform to foster development of applications and drive an enhanced user experience with a range of common tasks.

The work will augment the existing Wi-Fi Direct certification, and will be backward compatible with already available Wi-Fi Direct devices. Launch of the new enhancements is targeted for 2013.

“Our members have embraced Wi-Fi Direct as an important solution to connect devices directly, which creates an opportunity now to do more,” said Kelly Davis-Felner, Wi-Fi Alliance marketing director. “Building on Wi-Fi Direct to enable multi-vendor interoperable applications will continue to drive the technology’s adoption.”

Wi-Fi Direct has been widely adopted, with more than 1,100 certifications completed since the program’s launch in October 2010. The list of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct products includes a range of televisions, mobile phones, printers, PCs and tablets, as well as silicon from all major Wi-Fi chipset vendors. Market research firm In-Stat predicts that nearly all PCs, mobile devices, and portable consumer electronics will support the technology behind Wi-Fi Direct by 2014.