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News
Issue #2002 - 24
(June 2002)
(Updated June
26, 2002)
MARKET
OUTLOOK & TRENDS
Ultra-Wideband Finding a Niche
Market in Home Networking
The early adoption of
Wi-Fi-based home networking is paving the way for ultra-wideband
technology, according to a study by research firm InStat/MDR.
In its report, ‘The Promise of Ultra-Wideband,’ the research
firm said that with the FCC recently giving the green light to the
commercialization of UWB products, consumers can begin to look for
end-products on store shelves by Christmas of 2003.
"UWB has much to offer the home networking arena," said
Gemma Paulo, an analyst with InStat. "Even though Wi-Fi has
done very well for data transmission purposes, many questions have
been raised over 802.11x’ s ability to provide sufficient support
for streaming audio and video applications in the home. From the
top-line level, UWB is extremely appealing, since all of its
strengths really do address many of 802.11x’s perceived
weaknesses."
The first UWB-end products will be designed for the PAN
environment, with speeds of 100 Mbps, and a range of 10 meters.
According to InStat, a small number of shipments of nodes
embedded in commercial home end-products will appear on the market
in 2003, with shipments gaining momentum in 2004, but these products
are expected to capture no more than 5 percent of the home
networking market through 2006.
For more information: http://www.instat.com
MobileInfo.com’s Comments & Advisory:
Ultra-wideband offers higher speed for data transmission in a less
populated band. The underlying radio transmission technology can be used for
building wireless LANs or wireless wide area networks. Since wireless LANS
have taken off, it was opportune for UWB folks to use it for building faster
wireless LANs. We must bring it to everybody's attention that 802.11x
standard can employ any type of radio transmission technology. Therefore, it
may make sense for IEEE to come up with 802.11i or j or k (whichever
character has not been taken by existing standards) that utilizes UWB.
however, adoption very much depends on cost. Unless the price of UWB access
points and adapters is competitive with currently-available products, it may
not go anywhere in home networking space. One problem with PDAs and smart
phones will be battery consumption at those ultra wideband frequencies.
Note: This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers should take appropriate caution in
developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology
architectures. All trademarks used in this summary are
the property of their respective owners.
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