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China Releases Own WLAN Security Standard
Lownewulf writes "This NetworkWorldFusion article describes the release of the GB15629.11-2003 wireless networking standard in China, a wireless standard similar to 802.11, but with better security. The IEEE is worried that this may lead to the need to support two different standards in wireless networking hardware." ziggyboy adds a link to CNET's article, noting that
"all wireless devices sold in China are required to comply to this standard from December 1."
I disagree with the assertion of the poster that the Chineese standard has better security. For starters it does not use AES (the new advanced encryption standard) and the article does not specify what (if any) encryption protocol the Chineese standard uses. What this seems to me to be is an attempt to give the Chineese government a larger voice in the implementation of new networking standards. If hardware vendors and the IEEE roll over on this one the next thing you will see out of China (and other like minded countries who will follow suit) are the emergence of protocols which make it easier to censor and control content on the web. The market pressure to comply with this standard will be huge however. Given the size and growth of the Chineese market the financial rewards for early adopters will be great not to mention the potential to establish a major vendor footprint in an emerging market.
No, not at all.
The US has all of the above (or rather, US *Corporations* do)... I personally think that for this power to be shared among countries is good - too much one way is bad.
I'm not sure I trust US corporations to 'do the right thing' any more than I trust the Chinese government.
David
Stop bashing China people... How many times have some American company came out with their own standard that's different from IEEE's? TOO MANY TIMES! A new standard from China is just another drop of water in an ocean full of non compatible standards......
My guess is that this has to do more with patents than with anything else. China has been consistent in their drive to force the industry towards products that they can manufacture without having to pay patent licensing. Since the Chinese probably don't have much wireless equipment already installed, they don't really care about existing standards based on someone else's patents. They would much rather use their tremendous market power to drive industries towards commoditization.
In short, the relative security of 802.11[bg] is a red herring. They don't give a crap about that, and they won't change their mind if the security in their standard gets busted tomorrow.
The Chinese plan is to force current wireless manufacturers to be compatible with the Chinese standard, and then come out with their own chips that implement the Chinese standard. They can then sell these new chips without paying any patent licensing fees and use their inexpensive labor to undercut the foreign products.
Of course, if it means lower prices for wireless products I am all for it. Heck, I would gladly buy products that only supported the Chinese standard if it worked and was less expensive than the current standards.
Sounds like the Chinese government are learning from the experts. Take a standard. Modify it a bit. Use your monopoly (whether commercial or state) to make everyone use your version. The US justice system has made it clear it is okay to behave this way so why shouldn't the rest of the world?