What is WiNG? Wi-NG? Wireless Next Generation?

Symbol Technologies, makers of handheld computing products often used in supply chain management (SCM), has integrated a variety of wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi, RFID, WLAN (Wireless LAN), WiMAX and more. In their press release (see links below), they call this new architecture Wi-NG, Wireless Next Generation, which is intended as a bridge between Wi-Fi networks and RFID devices.

The idea is that because both wireless network and RFID markets will grow considerably in this decade, there needs to be means of integrating networks. Symbol is touting Wi-NG as the vehicle for the convergence of RF and wireless technologies.

It’ll be interesting to see how Wi-NG is accepted, and whether Symbol will license out the technology or push for it to be an open-source standard. Symbol trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol SBL. While I am by no means giving stock market advice (and do not hold shares in Symbol), in think that Wi-NG makes Symbol a company to watch. This new architecture could be just what the wireless market, with its plethora of technologies, needs for widescale network integration and convergence.

Sources/ Links: RFID Update, Symbol Technologies - New Wireless Architecture.

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