China's Wired Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI)
Industrial Union was set up in Beijing yesterday, with 22
enterprises becoming the first batch of members.
"The union should serve as a communication bridge between
telecommunications operators and enterprises and play a bigger role
in the further research, development and industrialization of
WAPI," according to Zhang Xinsheng, deputy director of the
Technological Department of the Ministry of Information
Industry.
The union, which includes the nation's four biggest
telecommunications operators, as well as key enterprises including
Lenovo, Huawei and Beijing Founder Electronics Co Ltd, aims to
promote China's own technological standard for wireless local area
network (WLAN). The union is also working toward establishing it as
an international standard.
WAPI, which was developed by China, was listed as a state
standard in 2003. The technology is a direct competitor to Intel's
802.11i standard, and has been touted as a solution to the security
loophole of the current 802.11 WLAN standard.
(Xinhua News Agency March 8, 2006)