The Wi-Fi Alliance plans to certify interoperability of Wi-Fi products that include baseline features from the developing IEEE 802.11n standard in the first half of 2007. This is the first phase in a certification program of the next generation of Wi-Fi products. A second phase brings full alignment with the ratified standard. The second phase of the program, which will be introduced at the time of final IEEE 802.11n ratification, will support compatibility between Wi-Fi CERTIFIED pre-standard products and those certified to the full standard.
The IEEE recently updated its estimated timeline for ratification of a full 802.11n standard, and is now targeting the first quarter of 2008 for final approval. However, Wi-Fi products implementing features from the draft specification are in the market now, and analysts forecast that tens of millions of pre-standard devices will ship in 2007.
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