Christopher J. Hansen

WiGiG: Multi-gigabit wireless communications in the 60 GHz band

The Wireless Gigabit Alliance [1] - commonly called WiGig - is an industry consortium devoted to the development and promotion of wireless communications in the 60 GHz band. Recent advances in 60 GHz technology and demand for higher-speed wireless connections are key drivers for WiGig. Among the unlicensed frequency bands available for wireless networks, 60 GHz is uniquely suited for carrying extremely high data rates (multiple gigabits per second) over short distances. WiGig has developed a medium access control (MAC) layer, a physical (PHY) layer, and several protocol adaptation layers (PALs) to enable interoperable devices that take advantage of these extremely high data rates. WiGig is also working closely with standards bodies, including IEEE 802.11, and other industry groups, such as the Wi-Fi Alliance, to help enable certification of standards-compliant devices.

mmWave communications: what is the killer application and how to make it happen?

Upamanyu Madhow is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Madhows research interests are in wireless communication and sensor networks. His group is currently engaged in a broad set of research activities related to mm wave communication, including signal processing architectures for multiGigabit communication, channel modeling, protocol design for highly directional networks, and interdisciplinary collaboration for prototyping of system concepts. Dr. Madhow is a Fellow of the IEEE, and recipient of the NSF CAREER award. He has served as Associate Editor for Spread Spectrum for the IEEE Transactions on Communications, and as Associate Editor for Detection and Estimation for the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory. He holds 10 US patents, and is the author of the textbook, Fundamentals of Digital Communication, published by Cambridge University Press in 2008.