Standarisation regime (2)

Overview:

• Wi-Fi Direct is a de facto standard although it is not as big as Wi-Fi itself. There are several competitors in the short distance datatelecommunication area so its not the only standard available.
• The standard is developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance which is basically open to everyone though they have to become a member for an annual fee. Every member has equal rights and can help and influence the development.
• The finished product has enough detail and is available to all who are affiliated while there is still room for each company to change some specifications.
• Free riders problem is not apparent because one has to be a member to get the full details. Within the organization the contribution could be minimal and still get all the documents but an annual fee must be payed anyways. Wi-Fi counterfeiting outside the alliance have no right to get the Wi-Fi certified logo; something which signifies the quality and backwards compatibility.
• Wi-Fi Direct reuses parts of the already successful Wi-Fi standard. Hardware development has matured and scalability has increased to reduce production cost.
• The Internet of Things 'forces' Wi-Fi Direct to be interoperable, something it already has as one of its key features. This will also be key to its success as it is able to bridge the connection between different technologies with an easy setup. This network externality can be seen in its cooperation with ZigBee.
• As Wi-Fi Direct is mainly a software implementation its adoptation level is very easy. Already it is being implemented on thousands of devices although the use of the standard as yet to grow. The standard has started maturing starting in 2014.
• Again, due to a growing need for higher throughputs and the possibility for device-to-device communication gave way as a very good timing for the development of the standard. It still needs to cover some ground as it competes with Bluetooth but has Wi-Fi standards to back up for the interoperability.