The networking channel is banking on the ratification of the wireless LAN (WLAN) 802.11n standard to give it a shot in the arm.

The IEEE formally ratified all 11n amendments to wireless standards earlier this month, more than six years after predecessor 11g was given the green light. One of the 11n’s key developments is the addition of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels.

Phil Belanger, marketing and business development director at vendor Extricom, claimed that assurances of backwards compatibility were crucial for businesses that have already deployed the 11n standard.

He said the ratification may drive up sales outside WLAN’s public sector stronghold.
“Maybe now more types of industry will be accepting of 11n solutions,” he added.

“The ratification removes potential obstacles that may have lingered at the back of the mind for some enterprises.”

Belanger claimed the technology’s intricacies would provide “challenges and opportunities” for VARs.

“Coming up with solutions and explaining them to customers is the challenge,” he said. “The opportunity is to add value; they can use 11n to solve problems in specific vertical industries.”

Bruce Hockin, head of business strategy for distributor Avnet Technology Solutions, claimed 11n was far less complex than people believed.

“People have been tentatively figuring out their own versions and no one has gone to town on 11n because they were worried about interoperability,” he added.

“This will open up more opportunities for the channel, due to increasing confidence in the technology.”

But some onlookers felt the ratification was little more than a formality. Keith Humphreys, managing consultant at euroLAN, said: “I am sure most customers thought it was already ratified.”