New wireless networking standard approved

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- A next-generation wireless networking standard has been approved that will work with older wireless networking technology, allowing companies and consumers to keep existing equipment and possibly boosting the number of wireless connections in homes and businesses.

The new standard, called 802.11g, was tentatively approved in a vote late on Thursday by an industry standards group called the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). It promises data transfer rates of up to 54 megabits per second, compared with 11 megabits on the current 802.11b standard.

Wireless networks allow consumers and business to connect laptops and PCs with each other and to the Internet without wires, and have become increasingly popular in airports, Internet cafe and in hotels.

Continued at CNN.