Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a wireless industry organization that exists to promote wireless technologies and interoperability.
The Alliance also certifies products that comply with its specifications for Wi-Fi interoperability, security and application-specific protocols. However, certification is not mandatory and absence of the Wi-Fi Alliance Certified logo does not imply a lack of compatibility.
The Wi-Fi Alliance was founded in 1999 as the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). Original members include 3Com, Aironet (which has since been acquired by Cisco), Harris Semiconductor (which is now Intersil), Lucent (which is now Alcatel-Lucent), Nokia and Symbol Technologies (which is now Motorola). The Alliance lists as key sponsors Apple inc., Comcast, Samsung, Sony, LG, Intel, Dell, Broadcom, Cisco, Qualcomm, Motorola, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, and T-Mobile.
With the help of a marketing company called Interbrand, the organization renamed the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11b Direct Sequence standard Wi-Fi. WECA changed its name to the Wi-Fi Alliance in 2002. The organization's headquarters are in Austin, Texas.
Wi-Fi Alliance CEO Edgar Figueroa discusses the future of Wi-Fi:
See also: wireless fidelity