Tens of companies have agreed to form a consortium that will develop TransferJet, a close proximity wireless transfer technology proposed by Sony earlier this year. The alliance, which includes many leading producers of consumer electronics, will ensure that the technology is utilized by many devices, which guarantees its success on the market.

The TransferJet consortium includes such companies as Sony Corp. Canon, Eastman Kodak, Hitachi, Victor Company of Japan (JVC), KDDI Corp., Kenwood Corp., Panasonic, Nikon Corp., Olympus Imaging Corp., Pioneer Corp., Samsung Electronics, Seiko Epson Corp., Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and Toshiba Corp. The TransferJet Consortium plans to promote a wide range of products and services incorporating TransferJet technology with the aim of accelerating its adoption throughout the consumer electronics industry.

TransferJet’s physical layer transmission rate is 560Mb/s, and even allowing for error corrections and protocol overheads, the effective physical layer transmission rate is 375Mbps. TransferJet is also capable of selecting the appropriate data transmission rate according to the wireless environment. Even if the conditions for transmission deteriorate, it will maintain the highest possible wireless connectivity by automatically lowering the data transmission rate. Unfortunately, communication distance of TransferJet is just three centimeters.

TransferJet does not need complex setup for operating. Directly touching two compliant electronic products together allows files to be transferred automatically, without the need for an access point. For example, touching a TV with a digital camera enables photos to be instantaneously displayed on the TV screen. Alternatively, downloaded music content can be easily enjoyed by touching a mobile phone to a portable audio player. TransferJet can be used as a universal interface across all consumer electronics devices.

The TransferJet Consortium will develop specifications and guidelines ensuring interoperability between products incorporating the technology, establish licensing schemes and administer the use of the TransferJet logo. The consortium will also promote the advantages across industries and to consumers. Through these initiatives, the consortium will aim to create and expand the market for TransferJet products.