Wi-Fi Alliance, CTIA partner in converged Wi-Fi/mobile phones

The Wireless Association (CTIA) announced a partnership agreement with the Wi-Fi Alliance to develop and promote certification programs for converged Wi-Fi/mobile handsets.

According to the press release, the two groups will cooperate on the development of test programs for overlapping aspects of converged Wi-Fi/mobile phones. The agreement is a result of liaison activities that have been taking place between the two groups since early 2005.

"As more converged phones become available, and carriers announce plans to support convergence, cross-industry collaboration becomes critical to address pressing technological challenges," said Wi-Fi Alliance Managing Director Frank Hanzlik. "We are pleased to partner with CTIA, who has a proven track record developing test programs that have been embraced by mobile carriers."

The initial focus of the CTIA-Wi-Fi Alliance cooperation will be on RF performance mapping in a mixed network environment. Future work will explore other technological challenges of convergence, such as handover between cellular and Wi-Fi networks, cross-radio signal sensitivity and battery life.

The groups envision that testing will occur in shared top-tier test laboratories worldwide, each authorized to perform both CTIA and Wi-Fi Alliance tests.