Four major companies join forces to forge ZigBee™ Alliance

October 21, 2002

Four major companies join forces to forge ZigBee™ Alliance

Invensys, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Philips and other companies create consortium to drive development of the ZigBee standard for low-cost, low power wireless connectivity

Invensys, Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, and Philips have formed a non-profit corporation to drive the creation and further development of the ZigBee wireless connectivity standard for a new low-cost, low power consumption wireless technology. The ZigBee Alliance members' focus on developing interoperable wireless appliances and devices will provide customers with a greater choice of wireless solutions that are cost-effective, easy to use, highly reliable and secure. The Alliance consists of over 25 total member companies and is rapidly growing.

The ZigBee wireless connectivity solution will be embedded in consumer electronics, home and building automation, industrial controls, PC peripherals, medical sensor applications, toys and games. ZigBee will provide customers with the freedom, flexibility, and convenience of a standards-based world without wires.

The ZigBee standard uses very small, very low-power devices to connect together to form a wireless control web. A ZigBee network is capable of supporting up to 254 client nodes plus one full functional device (master). ZigBee protocol is optimized for very long battery life measured in months to years from inexpensive, off-the-shelf non-rechargeable batteries, and can control lighting, air conditioning and heating, smoke and fire alarms, and other security devices. The standard supports 2.4 GHz (worldwide), 868 MHz (Europe) and 915 MHz (Americas) unlicensed radio bands with range up to 75 meters.

"Invensys is a global leader in the management of production and energy resources," said Ron Strich, Executive Vice President, Invensys Home Control Systems. "The ZigBee Alliance is working towards standards that will revolutionize controls and automation in commercial, industrial and residential markets. We're proud to have been one of the initial promoters."

"Today, the market is demanding connectivity solutions that are appropriate to the application," said Richard Sessions, Director of Embedded Systems at Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc.. "The ZigBee protocol enables ROM sizes on the system's microcontroller to be smaller, making it an excellent solution for cost-sensitive applications, such as those requiring moderate speeds and command and control functionality."

"We see a wide range of benefits in having a single standard that provides the wireless protocol and targeted software applications for this diverse marketplace," said Behrooz Abdi, Vice President and General Manager Radio Products Division, Motorola. "ZigBee and the underlying IEEE 802.15.4 standard are a natural fit within Motorola's portfolio of wireless ICs and embedded controller technologies."

"As one of the lead promoters of the Alliance, Philips recognizes the real market and growth opportunity for ZigBee applications,"said Phil Pollok, Senior Vice President and General Manager Emerging Business Unit for Philips Semiconductors (www.philips.com). "Philips' involvement in the ZigBee Alliance reinforces its leadership in promoting standards and offering solutions for a breadth of wireless communications technologies, including those used in the home, in the office or on the move."

The four promoter companies, along with approximately ten other member companies of the Alliance, met together for the first time in Monterey Calif. September 5-7. Various breakout sessions during the meeting helped define the future of the Alliance, from the technical, organizational, and marketing perspectives.

About the ZigBee Alliance

The ZigBee Alliance is an association of companies working together to create a very low-cost, very low power consumption, two-way, wireless communications standard. This wireless communications solution will be embedded in consumer electronics, home and building automation, industrial controls, PC peripherals, medical sensor applications, toys and games. The alliance's website address is www.zigbee.org.

Membership is open to any interested party, including Internet service providers, network operators, original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors, end users, academic institutions, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.