Japanese Companies To Develop 'Ultra Wideband' System 

TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Ministry of Telecommunications in Japan plans to develop jointly with Sony Corp.,  Sharp Corp. and other companies a home-use ultra wideband (UWB) system that will enable large-capacity, wireless communications between personal computers and audiovisual equipment, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in its Sunday edition. 

The ministry aims to come up with a commercially viable system in one to two years. The system, which can transmit a 10-minute video clip in about 10 seconds, can be used to network digital home appliances at home, the sources noted. 

The energy-efficient UWB system uses a frequency band of 1GHz or more. Though it can cover only a 10-meter radius, it transmits data over 10 times faster than a wireless local area network. Communications equipment for the system is also smaller, making it suitable for use at home as well as office. 

The frequency band for the system overlaps that for existing wireless communications, but the system won't jam other types of wireless communications due to its low electricity consumption. 

The ministry will discuss technical requirements for the system at a meeting of the Telecommunications Council, an advisory body to the telecom minister, in late September. It will at the same time begin working on specifics of the system at a gathering 
 

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MobileInfo Comments and Advisory:  this is a good use of UWB technology which faces regulatory challenges outside.