60GHz wireless chip promises 5Gbps of throughput, instant tumors

So this team of über-nerds -- NICTA -- out of Australia's Information and Communications Technology Research Centre of Excellence (or ICTRCoE for "short") announced the preliminary results of their Gigabit Wireless Project. Here's a hint: they were able to transmit gigabits of data -- five of 'em -- per second wirelessly over 60GHz / millimeter-wave CMOS-based transceivers. Of course, range on a system with that high a frequency isn't very far, but feel free to enjoy this moment of fantasy-future news for what it is. Oh, and NICTA crew -- hate to break it to ya, but your countrymen at CSIRO broke the 10Gbps wireless barrier a couple years ago (as did the U of Essex), might be time to up the ante.

Update: Bonus! Apparently these will be ready to ship in a year, and would cost $10 per component, which is still a little expensive for a single wireless chip but not bad at all.

[MNA @ Feb 22nd 2008 7:49AM]

' 60GHz wireless chip promises 5Gbps of throughput, instant tumors ' LOOOLL :))

[E71 @ Feb 22nd 2008 9:07AM]

I burst into laughter when I got the word "Excellence"...

Hey everybody, we're EXCELLENT!

Bow before us!

[E71 @ Feb 22nd 2008 9:07AM]

"Got to to word" not "Got the word"...

See, we're only human.

[Yubastard @ Feb 22nd 2008 10:04AM]

I know it's supposed to be humorous, but just FYI, tumors are not caused by high frequencies, they're caused by high energy, low frequency magnetic fields, just like those from the electrical transformers you see from your room's window6, 60Hz.

don't confuse high energy with high freqs (which also means high energy). I think the low freqs of the transofrmers make the + and - peaks stay longer in the brain, causing all sorts of mutations and whatnot.

[julz007 @ Feb 22nd 2008 7:50AM]

we are all gona die of brain cancer

f***ing wireless s**t

[brickwood @ Feb 22nd 2008 8:05AM]

f'ing ay.. the word wireless seems to make a consumers pants get tight, not giving a thought to the potential damgages of these technologies.
wires ftw.

[Cornelius @ Feb 22nd 2008 2:09PM]

I hope you're joking.

60 GHz is not ionizing radiation. It's well within the microwave range (300 MHz to 300 GHz). In fact, there are already some EHF devices being used in the 60 GHz band, so you'd be dead already if this contributed to cancer. The good news is that 60 GHz is near the resonant frequency of oxygen, so it attenuates a lot faster than radios at lower frequencies. So it's unlikely you will ever receive interference from your neighbor's 60 GHz devices.

At the most it'll make you feel warmer. It won't give you a tumor for godssakes.

[GhostDoggy @ Feb 22nd 2008 7:57AM]

At 60 GHz I would expect almost anything in the air to be a natural blocker to transmission. Worried about rain fade? How about pollen? Household dust?

[Cornelius @ Feb 22nd 2008 2:10PM]

Oxygen?

[Oinquer @ Feb 22nd 2008 8:04AM]

yep...at 60 ghz should even get trought paper...or a photo...
but i laughed out loud when i first read it :D

[Tony C @ Feb 22nd 2008 8:22AM]

Klatu...! Verata...! Nmgmffm...

[ed. @ Feb 22nd 2008 8:33AM]

someone ban this guy...

[monkeymon @ Feb 22nd 2008 8:48AM]

this tool is posting on digg as well

[Jon Doe. @ Feb 22nd 2008 10:00AM]

Guys. Use your brain. Don't bitch. Hit the report button.

[Ryan Block @ Feb 22nd 2008 11:12AM]

Yep, thanks! We got him.

[Ian @ Feb 22nd 2008 4:35PM]

how far would this go unimpeded? then with a wall? would it be worth it to have in your home?

[Nick Darveniza @ Feb 23rd 2008 12:18AM]

yay for australia

[Anonymouns @ Feb 23rd 2008 12:26AM]

I thought that their point was that they have developed a transceiver operating at 60GHz on standard CMOS. My understanding of the significance is that such a transceiver would be inexpensive (less than 20 dollars) not the many tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars that these other systems cost.