PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 4 -- In the latest chapter of one of the most dramatic innovation stories in the technology industry, Airgo Networks, Inc., pioneer and world leader in high performance wireless technology, has announced that more than 1.5 million computer networking devices have been produced using True MIMO chipsets. These devices have been widely demonstrated to greatly improve wireless networking performance when interoperating both with standard and True MIMO enhanced Wi-Fi for PC equipment and consumer electronics devices. According to The NPD Group, a leading provider of consumer and retail information, True MIMO powered OEM equipment sales are growing by an average of 67% per quarter over the past year. CEO Greg Raleigh said on Monday that the "exceptional growth in end user adoption" of True MIMO technology reflects a growing consumer understanding of the value of high performance wireless products in home and office networks. Airgo projects 5 million True MIMO powered OEM products will be installed by the fourth quarter of 2006.
"Industry analyst reports show consumer and business purchases of True MIMO powered wireless networking equipment in the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2005 will be nearly seven times higher than the corresponding 2004 period," Raleigh said.
"Airgo has delivered the highest performing Wi-Fi chipset to date as evidenced by the market leading RangeMax(TM) 240 product line from NETGEAR(R) powered by Airgo True MIMO," said Vivek Pathela, Senior Director of Marketing for NETGEAR. "We are also excited that IEEE proceedings are now converging to produce an 802.11n spec and a forum for multiple vendors to begin targeting MIMO enhanced Wi-Fi certified interoperability, eventually with performance levels near what Airgo has already achieved."
"US retailers are thrilled with how well Airgo True MIMO-based enhanced Wi-Fi products are selling," noted Kurt Higgins, President of Channel Force. "Not only are customers willing to pay more for the throughput, range and reliability of hassle-free True MIMO products, but these products work so well that unlike other wireless networking products they are almost never returned to the stores."
Among other factors cited for sales growth were the growing market awareness of the benefits of MIMO technology and the nearing of standard specifications being set by the IEEE. Greg Raleigh, in commenting on the imminent industry agreement to pass a draft standard based on the spatial multiplexing technology that Airgo has pioneered, noted the company is "really pleased that the technology Airgo successfully brought to consumers is now going to become an industry-wide standard. All indications point to a successful IEEE 802.11n first draft ratification vote in January 2006, with Wi-Fi Alliance certification testing being ready toward the end of 2006 or early 2007. This is extremely positive news for consumers, OEMs and for Airgo since we have a two year product development lead and a very strong intellectual property position in the exact spatial multiplexing MIMO technology at the heart of 802.11n."
About Airgo Networks, Inc.
The founders of Airgo Networks have pioneered a wireless communication technique known as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). A breakthrough in wireless, MIMO OFDM has been adopted as the foundation for defining the new IEEE 802.11n standard for next generation Wi-Fi(R). Airgo is first-to-market with 802.11a/b/g-compliant MIMO enhanced chipset, software and reference design solutions. Now in its third generation, Airgo's True MIMO(TM) technology has surpassed the speed of wireline connections, enabling the most bandwidth-intensive applications and eliminating the need for wires at home, at work, and in public places. Founded in January 2001, the company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA. Information about Airgo Networks is available at http://www.airgonetworks.com.