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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2007
(Revised from original 2006 version)
Atheros Communications
by
Thomas R. Eisenmann and Lauren Barley
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Abstract
Managers at Atheros, a leading provider of wireless local area network chipsets, must decide whether to join a special interest group (SIG) proposed by Intel to end an impasse over standards for the 802.11n (11n), the next generation of "Wi-Fi" technology. Two factions are supporting rival proposals for 11n standards in the IEEE, the electronics industry's chief standards-setting organization. Working outside the IEEE's formal processes, Intel's SIG would advance a compromise that could break the deadlock. Alternatively, the SIG could provoke a backlash, resulting in the IEEE's approval of a different standard for 11n. In that event, Intel and its SIG allies would suffer a severe time-to-market setback in exploiting what promises to be a large, fast-growing chip market.
Keywords: Intellectual Property;
Standards;
Wireless Technology;
Semiconductor Industry;
United States;
Citation:
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Lauren Barley. "Atheros Communications." Harvard Business School Case 806-093, June 2007. (Revised from original February 2006 version.)