Airgo cuts prices for faster Wi-Fi

Airgo Networks is looking to kick-start the market for faster Wi-Fi services by cutting the price of its first MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) chipset.

This reduction will allow manufacturers to cut up to 20 percent off the retail price of access points built around Airgo's True MIMO product, from $149-$199 (£82-£110) to $129-$149 (£71-£82), the company said this week.

MIMO is based on Wi-Fi, or 802.11x, standards, and offers faster speeds by sending information across multiple data streams. The True MIMO product uses three separate channels, letting it run three data streams simultaneously which are then reconstructed using digital signal processing.

Airgo has also launched two new lower-end MIMO chipsets. True G supports 802.11g, and True AG supports both 802.11g and 802.11a. Both only support two channels, making them both slower and cheaper than the True MIMO product.

"With the introduction of these new MIMO chipsets, consumers have a price versus performance choice in the Wi-Fi market. They can select premium True MIMO solutions with the industry's highest speed, range and reliability at a reduced price, or choose True G and True AG solutions with dramatically improved performance and similar pricing as compared to current 802.11g products," claimed Airgo in a statement.

But there are still hurdles to overcome before MIMO becomes a mass-market success, especially as a standard for the technology hasn't yet been agreed.