International Group OKs New Standard

An international technical body put its stamp of approval on wireless Internet technology that can transmit data two to five times faster than existing short-range network gear known as Wi-Fi, or 802.11b.

The Institute of Electrical Electronics Engineers, a technology standard-setting body, said it had approved the new network standard, called 802.11g, a move analysts said would encourage business to use the gear.

The standard runs at theoretical speeds of up to 54 megabits per second, compared with Wi-Fi’s theoretical speed of 11 megabits per second.