Major electronics companies in Japan said Wednesday they have jointly established a working group to define common specifications for hardware that will easily connect personal computers to devices such as cordless phones, VCRs and audio sets through wireless communications.
The new collaboration, known as the Home Radio Frequency Working Group Japan Committee, is led by Intel K.K., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., NEC Corp. and IBM Japan Ltd. It includes 10 other manufacturers and is part of The Home Radio Frequency Working Group. The worldwide group was first launched in the United States in March and now consists of 39 companies.
The newly formed Japan committee will work to establish specifications that comply with Japanese regulations, such as available frequency, bandwidth and transmission power. It will also promote compatibility with other electronic products.
Group members said that linking computers with other electronic equipment will provide greater convenience.
For example, if a mobile phone is linked with a computer, it can retrieve voice mail or read messages on the computer. Also, when the computer receives e-mail, it can "call" the mobile phone.
The first specifications for wireless access will be published by the end of this year, and products that are compatible with it will debut in late 1999, the group said.