AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- 2012 marked yet another year of Wi-Fi^® innovation and record device sales, with more than 1.5 billion devices sold, according to ABI Research.  Now the Wi-Fi industry sets its sights on major performance enhancements and support for a range of new applications to emerge over the next two years.  Once again in the spotlight at CES, Wi-Fi connects an ever-widening range of products, enabling applications as diverse as home theater, smart energy, automotive and more.

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Innovation and interoperability from Wi-Fi Alliance^® continue to drive the connected entertainment experience. Among the advances on display at CES 2013: 

• Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast™ is appearing in a range of televisions, tablets, handsets and more.  Miracast makes it easy to display applications or video content from one Wi-Fi device on another, even when the devices are different brands.  Since the program became available in September 2012, more than 60 devices have completed certification, and both Wi-Fi Alliance and individual Wi-Fi vendors are demonstrating Miracast screen sharing and video display applications on the CES show floor.
• Gigabit Wi-Fi is also on display at CES.  Early implementations of the newest generation of Wi-Fi, based on 802.11ac, will impress attendees with high performance and support for demanding multimedia applications.  Wi-Fi Alliance will certify products implementing the technology later this year under the moniker Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ ac.  Wi-Fi CERTIFIED ac builds on the industry's legacy of product compatibility, with most devices expected to be dual-band and interoperable with Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n devices.
• Multi-gigabit point-to-point wireless will soon appear in products certified by Wi-Fi Alliance. Interoperable 60 GHz technology based on the WiGig specification complements traditional Wi-Fi for applications such as instant docking, streaming uncompressed HD video, and more. Wi-Fi Alliance recently announced plans to unify with the WiGig Alliance, and several Wi-Fi Alliance members are demonstrating WiGig implementations at CES 2013.

"We have set forth a vision of 'seamless connectivity' and our members continue to deliver the technologies and products that achieve that vision," said Wi-Fi Alliance president and CEO Edgar Figueroa. "We're enthusiastic about what is in store for 2013, and CES will be an exciting venue to showcase how Wi-Fi plays a leading role in consumer electronics."

ABI Research predicts that yearly Wi-Fi shipments will reach almost 3 billion in 2016, nearly doubling 2012's count of about 1.5 billion; growing at a compound annual rate of 14 percent. Other interesting industry notes from ABI Research include:

• The total number of Wi-Fi shipments increased 29 percent from 2011-2012
• The consumer electronics category led Wi-Fi sales growth at nearly 42 percent
• Sales of Wi-Fi enabled handsets grew 32 percent from 2011-2012

"Wi-Fi has entered its second decade of robust growth and is established as a must-have technology for many electronics devices," said Peter Cooney, practice director for semiconductors for ABI Research. "Continued innovation to support advanced applications and improve performance, while continuing to deliver interoperability and a great user experience, are at the core of the industry's ongoing success."

The dynamism and growth of the Wi-Fi industry is reflected in Wi-Fi Alliance's industry-leading Wi-Fi CERTIFIED program.  The total volume of Wi-Fi certified products grew more than 25 percent from 2011-2012, with the consumer electronics category up 64 percent in that time period. Certifications in the handset category jumped 34 percent year over year.

Wi-Fi Alliance will join the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA^®), HomePlug^® Alliance, and Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA^®) to promote and demonstrate the connected home during 2013 International CES, January 8 – 11. The organization will demonstrate a number of Wi-Fi applications and technologies, including Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast, in South Hall 1, Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth 20300.  

About Wi-Fi Alliance 
www.wi-fi.org  
Wi-Fi Alliance is a global non-profit industry association of hundreds of leading companies devoted to seamless connectivity. With technology development, market building, and regulatory programs, Wi-Fi Alliance has enabled widespread adoption of Wi-Fi worldwide. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ program was launched in March 2000. It provides a widely-recognized designation of interoperability and quality and it helps to ensure that Wi-Fi-enabled products deliver the best user experience. Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more than 15,000 product certifications, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services in new and established markets. Wi-Fi^®, Wi-Fi Alliance^®, WMM^®, Wi-Fi Protected Access^® (WPA), the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, the Wi-Fi logo, the Wi-Fi ZONE logo and the Wi-Fi Protected Setup logo are registered trademarks of Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, Wi-Fi Direct™, Wi-Fi Protected Setup™, Wi-Fi Multimedia™, WPA2™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™, Passpoint™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast™, Miracast™, Wi-Fi ZONE™ and the Wi-Fi Alliance logo are trademarks of Wi-Fi Alliance.

SOURCE Wi-Fi Alliance