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The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced the first round of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products providing both Wi-Fi and cellular communications.

Austin, TX, October 21, 2004 - The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced the first round of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products providing both Wi-Fi and cellular communications. These certifications, along with the large number of similar products under development, point to a rapidly evolving trend toward a range of products that enable both Wi-Fi and cellular communications. In response to this trend, the Wi-Fi Alliance has initiated a Wi-Fi/Cellular Convergence (WCC) task group focused on identifying and meeting the cellular industry�s unique certification requirements for Wi-Fi functions in WCC devices.

The first round of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products with WCC capabilities includes:

Wi-Fi Capable PDA/Cell Phones
� HP iPAQ Pocket PC h6315 (available now)
� Nokia 9500 Communicator (scheduled for Q4 2004)
� Motorola MPx (scheduled for 2nd half of 2004)

Wi-Fi Capable Handheld Computer
� Intermec 760 Mobile Computer (available now)

Wi-Fi Convergence Accessories (enables Wi-Fi in select PDA/cell phones)
� SanDisk Connect Wi-Fi SD Card (available now)

�Through its established global network of labs, the Wi-Fi Alliance has the certification infrastructure in place to advance the cellular industry�s adoption of Wi-Fi in converged Wi-Fi/Cellular products,� said Wi-Fi Alliance Managing Director, Frank Hanzlik. �Our extensive experience in certifying Wi-Fi products will enable this exciting new category of WCC products to deliver the same high level of customer satisfaction that consumers expect from the Alliance�s certification programs.

�Responding to the unique needs of the cellular industry, the Alliance has been working with the world�s leading convergence device manufacturers to form a new task group that will facilitate this market�s growth. We see this initiative as a valuable opportunity for product manufacturers and service providers to work together to define the requirements of this market,� Hanzlik added.

See Wi-Fi at International CES
Wi-Fi-based wireless LAN technology will be on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) (South Hall #4, Booth #37017), January 6-9, 2005, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About the Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance (formerly WECA) is the global Wi-Fi organization that created the Wi-Fi brand. A nonprofit trade association, the Alliance was formed in 1999 to certify interoperability of IEEE 802.11 products and to promote them as the global, wireless LAN standard across all market segments.

The Wi-Fi Alliance has instituted a test suite that defines how member products are tested to certify that they are interoperable with other Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products. These tests are conducted at independent laboratories.

Membership in the Wi-Fi Alliance is open to all companies that support the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. The Wi-Fi Alliance now comprises over 200 members from the world�s leading companies. These companies offer over 1,500 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products. For more information, please visit www.wi-fi.org, and for information on Wi-Fi ZONE� public access locations go to www.wi-fizone.org.

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Posted by Craig at October 25, 2004 03:45 PM