Ultra Wideband (UWB) Has Significant Commercial Market Opportunity In Home and Consumer Device Networking, According To Allied Business Intelligence Report

Oyster Bay, New York Date of Release: 9/19/02

Ultra Wideband (UWB), a wireless technology based on modulated pulses of energy, stands to capture technology market share over the next several years in a variety of applications, especially the distribution of wireless video, audio and data in home and consumer networking devices.

A combination of recognition by the Federal Communications Communication (FCC), advancements in chip development, and the emerging need for such a technology in the marketplace have helped UWB to become commercially viable. UWB solutions promise data rates higher than today's wireless personal and local area networking technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, via low-power, aggressively priced chipsets. Allied Business Intelligence (ABI) expects to see UWB chipsets in volume production in 2003 with UWB-enabled consumer products available by late 2003 early 2004.

In a new report "Ultra Wideband (UWB) Wireless - An Evaluation of Technology Prospects and Potential Market Applications" ABI forecasts that the total global shipments for UWB-enabled electronics and chipsets could reach 45.1 million units by 2007, with resulting revenues of $1.39 billion by the end of that year. These projections include shipments into market segments including communications, imaging, vehicles, locators and military and government use.

In addition to home and consumer device networking UWB technology also has unique applications in local positioning systems. "The main hurdles for the technology are the lack of standards and its ability to find a niche in the communications segment versus incumbent wireless connectivity technologies," said Paul Marcik, ABI analyst and report author.

UWB is a wireless communications technology that is fundamentally different from all other radio frequency (RF) communications. Unique to UWB is the fact that it achieves wireless communications without using an RF Carrier. Instead it uses modulated pulses of energy less than one pico-second in duration. Each pulse can be shown to exist simultaneously across an extensive band of frequencies, however, the distributed energy of the pulse at any given frequency exists in the less than noise level.

The report investigates the market for UWB and examines if this will be the next generation in wireless communications, from wireless LANs to radar. The report employs a scenario analysis approach (moderate, aggressive and pessimistic) in providing forecasts for twenty different market segments. The activities of and analyses for over 25 market participants are also provided.

Allied Business Intelligence Inc is an Oyster Bay, NY-based technology research think tank that publishes research and technology intelligence on the wireless, broadband, electronics, networking and energy industries. Details can be found at www.alliedworld.com or by calling 516-624-3113.