Scientists show off super fast Wi-Fi

Scientists in the United States are touting new technology that will allow Wi-Fi to transfer huge amounts of data over a very short distance.

The GEDC used a high frequency in the 60GHz band, and have achieved wireless data-transfer rates of 15Gbit/s over a span of one metre, according to the Associated Press. That translates into a download time of less than five seconds for a DVD-quality copy of a typical Hollywood movie.

The researchers believe these high frequencies are an untapped resource, as permission is not needed from the US government to use this spectrum, which (like the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands used by Wi-Fi) is unlicensed. This has previously led to talk of a goldrush in 60GHz spectrum.

Unlike higher frequencies, UWB currently has a maximum speed of about 480Mbit/s, which while sounding impressive, may not be enough for all applications.

Laskar has set his sights on a $5 chip, and so far his researchers have apparently hammered together a few prototypes to show off the technology.