WiQuest Communications
Encyclopedia
WiQuest Communications, Inc., was the leading fabless semiconductor company
Fabless semiconductor company
A fabless semiconductor company specializes in the design and sale of hardware devices and semiconductor chips while outsourcing the fabrication or "fab" of the devices to a specialized manufacturer called a semiconductor foundry...

 that designed and developed complete WiMedia
WiMedia Alliance
The WiMedia Alliance is a non-profit open industry association that promotes and enables the rapid adoption, regulation, standardization and multi-vendor interoperability of ultra-wideband worldwide....

-based Certified Wireless USB
Wireless USB
Wireless USB is a short-range, high-bandwidth wireless radio communication protocol created by the . Wireless USB is sometimes abbreviated as "WUSB", although the USB Implementers Forum discourages this practice and instead prefers to call the technology "Certified Wireless USB" to distinguish it...

 (WUSB) solutions focused on high-speed, short-range applications. WiQuest’s complete solution offered chipset
Chipset
A chipset, PC chipset, or chip set refers to a group of integrated circuits, or chips, that are designed to work together. They are usually marketed as a single product.- Computers :...

s, software, and reference design
Reference design
Reference design refers to a technical blueprint of a system that is intended for others to copy. It contains the essential elements of the system; however, third parties may enhance or modify the design as required....

s. WiQuest was headquartered in Allen, Texas
Allen, Texas
Allen is a city in Collin County, Texas, United States, a northern suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 census the city had a total population of 84,246.-Geography:According to the City of Allen, the city has a total area of...

, and had operations in Bangalore, India
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

.

Their slogan was The New Frontier of Wireless.

Products

In early 2008, WiQuest's Wireless USB products had an 85% market share. Among WiQuest's customers were laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...

 manufacturers Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...

, Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...

 and Lenovo, and peripheral manufacturers D-Link
D-Link
D-Link Corporation was founded in June 1986 in Taipei as Datex Systems Inc. It began as a network adapter vendor and has gone on to become a designer, developer, and manufacturer of networking solutions for both the consumer and business markets.In 2007, it was the leading networking company in...

, Belkin
Belkin
Belkin International, Inc., is a Californian manufacturer of computer hardware that specializes in connectivity devices, headquartered in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California...

, Imation
Imation
Imation is a US based multi-national technology corporation that designs, manufactures and sells recordable data storage media, consumer electronics products and accessories.The company is a 1996 spin off of 3M and is headquartered in Oakdale, Minnesota...

, and Kensington
Kensington Technology Group
Kensington Computer Products Group is a division brand of ACCO Brands, Inc. that sells computer accessories and periphery such as computer mice, computer keyboards, notebook bags, iPod accessories and power supplies. The brand is best known for the Kensington Lock, a lightweight lock system...

.

Demise

The company ceased operations on October 31, 2008. Reasons cited for the demise of WiQuest are the same issues that are plaguing Wireless USB technology in general, such as unfavorable economic conditions
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...

, the relative high cost of the end products, lackluster power-consumption and throughput
Throughput
In communication networks, such as Ethernet or packet radio, throughput or network throughput is the average rate of successful message delivery over a communication channel. This data may be delivered over a physical or logical link, or pass through a certain network node...

 characteristics of first-generation Wireless USB products, regulatory
Frequency assignment authority
In telecommunication, frequency assignment authority is the power granted an administration, or its designated or delegated leader or agency via treaty or law, to specify frequencies, or frequency bands, in the electromagnetic spectrum for use in systems or equipment.International frequency...

 issues, and low Wireless USB host adapter attach rate
Attach rate
The attach rate of a product represents how many complementary goods are sold for each primary product. For example, the average number of DVD-Video discs purchased for each DVD player sold, or the number of console-specific video games purchased for each console sold.The attach rate is one...

s.

The Bangalore operations were acquired by Staccato Communications.
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