By Jolly Wong
The tech commercialization journey is oftentimes long.
For example, Wi-Fi had its commercial origins in a 1985 ruling by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission [1] that released the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band for unlicensed use. The ISM radio bands are portions of the radio spectrum at 2.4GHz. These bands are the same ones used by equipment such as microwave ovens and drones and are subject to interference.
Vic Hayes, a former Senior Research Fellow at the Delft University of Technology [2], and Bell Labs Engineer Bruce Tuch [3], were the key contributors to the early work on Wi-Fi standards: WaveLAN. Vic and Bruce firmly believed that open technical standards can play a key role in facilitating innovation. They approached IEEE to create a standard in the early 1990s. Without them the Wi-Fi we know today would never have realized.
Vic received the sobriquet “Father of Wi-Fi” for his 10 years management of IEEE 802.11 working groups [2] on wireless LAN. In fact, many of the technologies, devices, and products, from Wi-Fi to messaging apps, function are based on IEEE Standards.
In this article I want to look into the key drivers how open standards can make innovation happen.
Standardization can help organizations gain a competitive advantage and improve efficiency.
Standards are essential to avoid chaos. Imagine people trying to achieve a common goal, but each wanting to do things their way and no one agreeing on anything. Disharmony rules and nothing constructive is achieved.
Technical standards provide expert-led recommendations and guidance on the use of existing and emerging technologies, organizations that follow these standards can significantly reduce their development time and costs.
Standardization creates a foundational framework that enables businesses to design specific and innovative solutions.
Standards provide a set of parameters to work within so businesses can focus their energies on creating tailored and impactful solutions.
For example, since its birth in 1999, the IEEE 802.11 standard has evolved into an all-encompassing standards family that enables robust, reliable, and affordable wireless connectivity.
New products and devices that incorporate these standards have since emerged and become ubiquitous, sparking a revolution in wireless technology from Wi-Fi 6 to 6E and Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be), to next generation positioning (IEEE 802.11az) and vehicle to anything (IEEE 802.11bd).
For technology professionals, understanding the foundational framework of standards can help bridge the gap between their technical knowledge and creating innovative, market-relevant products to better serve their customers.
Standardization can develop a global business sense.
In today’s global marketplace, products and services are often used by consumers from different regions, countries, and cultures. Small but important variances within different market segments can have a significant effect on product design, usability, and perception.
Standards are global in nature, created to support global commerce and reduce barriers in international trade by setting universal recommendations and guidelines that bridge the gaps across regions. Therefore, the development of standards is often led by experts and stakeholders from around the world who represent their local market needs, technology trends, and cultural backgrounds. Taking IEEE 802.11 [4] as an example, a total of 9,339 individual members in 90 countries, 391 member corporations in 23 countries, and 20,000 participants have contributed to the various working, task and study groups.
By understanding and adopting the standards in their fields, technology professionals can prove their business credibility and reliability to international customers. In addition, participants in standards development can readily apply these global perspectives to product designs and business strategies to better meet the varied needs of customers, helping their organizations stay ahead of the competition in the global market.
The drive to develop open standards overall can advance innovation and technology for humanity.
Digging Deeper:
[1] CableFree, “The History of WiFi: 1971 to Today,” 18 May 2017 [Online]. Available: https://www.cablefree.net/wireless-technology/history-of-wifi-technology/
[2] IEEE Computer Society, “Victor Hayes,” 29 Aug 2022 [Online]. Available: Victor Hayes | IEEE Computer Society
[3] WiFi Now Global, “Bruce Tuch,” 29 Oct 2019 [Online]. Available: Bruce Tuch – Wi-Fi NOW Global (wifinowglobal.com)
[4] IEEE 802.11, “The Working Group for WLAN Standards,” 26 Feb 2021. Available: IEEE 802.11, The Working Group Setting the Standards for Wireless LANs
About the author
Jolly Wong is a consultant, strategic adviser to boards on innovation and technology, cybersecurity, digital transformation and ESG data. He is also a Visiting Professor for the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, the Shanghai University, and a Policy Fellow for Center for Science and Policy (CSaP) at University of Cambridge. Please contact him via his Email jollywong@ieee.org.
