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Appeared on: Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Rival Wireless Charging Groups Join Forces

Two major wireless power consortiums -- the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) -- have agreed to establish interoperability standards for wireless power.

The partnership pits the two consortiums against the largest of the industry groups, which support's the Qi specification.

The two associations have signed an agreement aimed at establishing global interoperability of these two wireless power standards. The PMA has developed an Open Network API capable of transforming individual charging spots into a smart, manageable, global wireless power network. A4WP has developed the only industry sponsored magnetic resonance technical specification and is supported by a global product certification program under the Rezence brand.

Under the agreement, PMA immediately adopts the A4WP Rezence specification as the PMA magnetic resonance charging specification for both transmitters and receivers in both single and multi-mode configurations.

A4WP adopts the PMA inductive specification as a supported option for multi-mode inductive, magnetic resonance implementations.

A4WP and PMA will collaborate on their open network API for network services management.

"This announcement delivers a compelling message for the industry to commit and deliver wireless charging devices now. Between the organizations, A4WP and PMA membership consists of the key players necessary to drive industry consolidation and establish a commercially viable globally interoperable wireless charging ecosystem," said Kamil Grajski, President, Alliance for Wireless Power.

Voting members from A4WP included Broadcom, Gill Electronics, IDT, Intel, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics and Samsung Electro-Mechanics; and Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, and Powermat Technologies from PMA.

"We have listened and acted very deliberately to the overwhelming voice of the industry to simplify rollout of wireless charging technology and bring more alignment within the ecosystem. These two organizations are taking the necessary steps to get the job done." said Ron Resnick, President, Power Matters Alliance. "Combining the standards from A4WP and PMA offer the best choices of core technologies and managed network services, delivering to consumers a seamless, easy-to-use and convenient wireless charging user experience."

The third and largest industry consortium is the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which developed the Qi standard, which enables inductive or pad-style charging, as well as short-distance (up to 1.5cm) magnetic resonance charging.

The Qi specification is supported by 200 companies including LG Electronics, Sony, Nokia and Verizon Wireless.

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