Don't Count Out UWB Technology

Ultrawideband (UWB) technology in some ways has been a solution in search of a problem. With the proliferation of short-range wireless formats, including Bluetooth and WiFi, and the expansion of WiMAX into not only short-range but long-range, high-data-rate applications, some might question the need for additional "cable replacement" solutions such as UWB technology. Perhaps it was these same critics who wrote off UWB technology last week with the demise of UWB-based WiQuest. Those who doubt the technology should realize that UWB offers some significant advantages over more "conventional" short-range wireless technologies.

UWB technology, for example, by its frequency-spread nature, is more immune to interference than other short-range wireless formats. It is capable of providing robust communications at very low transmitted power levels, with data rates to 480 Mb/s and more--far beyond the current limits of Bluetooth. In fact, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has adopted UWB technology as a possible means of increasing the data rate of future versions of Bluetooth. Perhaps one of the best arguments for UWB technology is made by Eric Broockman, Founder and CEO of Alereon who, in his blog "The Future of UWB--the shakeout begins," clearly defines the benefits and advantages of UWB over other wireless formats. His blog can be accessed at http://www.blog.alereon.com.