3/10/2004 -- Planet3 Wireless, the company that runs the Certified Wireless Network Professional (CWNP) program, announced last week that it will soon be launching a new certification: the Certified Wireless Analysis Professional (CWAP).

The title will certify candidates' skills in 802.11-focused MAC frames and exchange processes, physical layer technologies and wireless LAN protocol analyzer use, among other topics, the company said.

A beta for this exam is currently available for $100 through Prometric testing centers worldwide.

According to Planet3, to become a CWAP candidates must first hold the program's Certified Wireless Network Associate (CWNA) title. The new CWAP exam will also become one of several prerequisites for the company's upcoming Certified Wireless Networking Expert lab exam, scheduled to launch in 2005.

With the debut of the CWAP, Planet3 said it is canceling plans for a Certified Wireless Network Integrator (CWNI) credential, part of the original program structure when the program was announced in 2001.

"Wireless LAN technology continues to change at a rapid pace. By distributing the training and objectives that would have been in CWNI to our other certifications, we can better meet the needs of CWNP students and training partners," Planet3 Wireless CEO and cofounder Kevin Sandlin said in a printed statement.

More information on the CWNP certification program can be found here. -Becky Nagel