SAN RAMON, Calif. - The ZigBeeâ„¢ Alliance announced that Siemens has been admitted at the promoter level, the highest level of membership. Siemens joins BM Group, Ember Corp., Freescale Semiconductor Inc., Honeywell, Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, Philips, Samsung, and Texas Instruments on the ZigBee Alliance board of directors.

"Adding Siemens to the ZigBee Alliance further strengthens ZigBee's strong hold in the development of wireless mesh networking," said Marcus Torchia, senior analyst, Wireless/Mobile Enterprise Solutions of Yankee Group. "The ZigBee Alliance has consistently demonstrated a commitment to quality and interoperability and adding Siemens to the roster of promoter companies demonstrates an immense commitment from the industry and continued support and development for ZigBee applications."

According to the company, the variety of manufacturers in the Alliance ensures a solid and diverse supply of components all designed to seamlessly work together.

"Siemens carefully investigated the various wireless control options available on the market and selected ZigBee because it offers a true, internationally recognized standard that fits well into the product strategies of several of our business units," said Walter Weigel, vice president standardization and regulations of Siemens AG.

"Siemens has great experience and vast knowledge in the field of automation that will also benefit ZigBee over the coming years." Siemens' support and leadership commitment to the ZigBee Alliance comes on the heels of the recent moves by several industry giants: Texas Instruments completed its acquisition of Chipcon in January, and a joint effort by STMicroelectronics and Ember to work together on ZigBee solutions was also completed in January.

Publication date: 04/10/2006