When it did eventually work, Sadri demonstrated a WiGig link between a hard-disk, laptop computer and two monitors. The laptop, which was running on battery power so it had no wires attached, was streaming video from the hard disk and displaying it on the computer desktop, which was being displayed across two monitors.

The demonstration was impressive but WiGig isn't the first standard that's promised to rid the world of cables. Previous technologies have failed to catch on or come to market and WiGig was originally promised in 2010 but failed to materialize.

Now the technology, backed by Intel and a number of other big names in the computer industry, is "very close to reality," said Sadri.

A certification program for WiGig gear is expected to begin in the middle of 2013 with products following later in the year, he said.

Earlier in July the technology received a boost when Marvell Technology Group, a major manufacturer of Wi-Fi chipsets, . Another chip maker, Atheros, had earlier said it plans similar chips.