GoKawiilWi-Fi Name Is Not an Acronym, Says Founding Alliance Member
Phil Belanger, a founding member of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, says the term "Wi-Fi" was invented in 1999 by branding agency Interbrand and does not stand for "Wireless Fidelity" or anything else. The alliance briefly used the tagline "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity" to explain the name to consumers, but Belanger says it was later dropped after being called a branding mistake.