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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesQualcomm completed its acquisition of Wilocity on July 1, 2014, adding expertise in 60 GHz WiGig chipsets to its wireless portfolio. The plan was to pair WiGig’s short-range, multi-gigabit connection with conventional 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi—not to replace those broader-coverage bands. Qualcomm described the deal as a way to bring tri-band wireless to phones, computers and networking products; the available announcement does not show that the company ultimately achieved lasting dominance of the 60 GHz market.
What Qualcomm bought—and what it planned to do
Wilocity developed chipsets based on IEEE 802.11ad, the standard marketed as WiGig. Qualcomm described Wilocity as a leader in 60 GHz wireless chipsets. The purchase brought that technology into Qualcomm’s product and platform plans, including Qualcomm Atheros networking products and Snapdragon mobile platforms. Qualcomm did not disclose the acquisition price in its July 1, 2014 announcement.
The deal followed years of collaboration. Qualcomm Atheros had invested in Wilocity since 2008, and the companies had worked together on tri-band computing solutions since 2011, according to Qualcomm. In January 2013, they announced a tri-band reference design combining 802.11ac and 802.11ad on one module. That module could connect to 60 GHz docks, displays and storage while retaining 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi coverage.
What WiGig and 802.11ad were for
WiGig used the 60 GHz band to provide very high throughput across short, in-room distances. Qualcomm presented it as a complement to 802.11ac: the conventional Wi-Fi bands could serve broader home or enterprise coverage, while 60 GHz could add multi-gigabit capacity for nearby devices. The difference matters in practice: a fast link across a room is useful for moving large amounts of data, but it is not a substitute for the coverage needed to stay connected throughout a home or office.
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| Connection role | Bands or technology | Intended strength |
|---|---|---|
| General network access | 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, including 802.11ac | Broader coverage; Qualcomm described 802.11ac as gigabit-class. |
| Nearby, high-throughput link | 60 GHz WiGig based on 802.11ad | Multi-gigabit capacity for short-range, in-room uses. |
| Tri-band design | 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 60 GHz | Combines general Wi-Fi access with a high-rate link to compatible nearby devices. |
Qualcomm’s stated applications included 4K video streaming, peer-to-peer content sharing, wireless docking, display connections, storage access and transferring or backing up media libraries. These were proposed uses for compatible devices, not a guarantee that every WiGig product supported every application.
What the acquisition meant for Snapdragon 810
Alongside the acquisition announcement, Qualcomm said it had a Snapdragon 810 tri-band reference design and called Snapdragon 810 the world’s first mobile platform designed to support WiGig. That wording refers to platform design capability; it does not establish that every Snapdragon 810 phone included the necessary 60 GHz radio, antenna, software and compatible peripherals. Buyers would need to check the specifications of the particular device and accessory.
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For consumers, the intended experience was a phone or computer that could use ordinary Wi-Fi for network coverage, then connect over 60 GHz to a nearby dock, display or storage device. A named early example in Qualcomm technical material was the Dell D5000 WiGig Docking Station. This is historical hardware; its current availability and compatibility should be checked with the seller and device maker.
Was it a takeover or a partnership?
It was an acquisition, completed in July 2014. The companies had previously been partners in development, and Qualcomm Atheros had invested in Wilocity, but Qualcomm’s announcement said it had completed the acquisition. EE Times reported that the financial terms were not released. Wilocity CEO and co-founder Tal Tamir described the move as a call for the industry to prepare for 60 GHz Wi-Fi in EE Times’ 2014 coverage.
Why Qualcomm wanted a place in 60 GHz
Qualcomm’s strategic case was that mobile devices would need more capacity as data use grew. In 2014, the company cited an expected 1,000-fold increase in mobile traffic as part of its “1000x vision” for network densification and offload. That was Qualcomm’s forward-looking rationale, not a measured outcome of the Wilocity acquisition. WiGig offered a way to move large files or media over a short link, while the other Wi-Fi bands remained available for broader connectivity.
Qualcomm Atheros president Amir Faintuch described the target as supporting uses such as immediate 4K streaming and high-throughput peer-to-peer sharing. The company’s announcement thus framed Wilocity as an enabling technology for a broader tri-band strategy, rather than a standalone replacement for existing Wi-Fi.
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Did Qualcomm dominate 60 GHz Wi-Fi?
“Dominate” overstates what the documented deal establishes. Qualcomm bought a specialist, integrated WiGig into its platform plans and had already demonstrated tri-band designs with Wilocity. Those facts show ambition to influence the WiGig ecosystem, but an acquisition announcement and reference design do not prove lasting market leadership, broad consumer adoption or continued product availability.
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