Do We Need Another Wireless Technology?

Electronic News, Dec 3, 2001 by Martin Rofheart

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, we have seen a number of wireless technologies crop up -- from 802.lla to HiperLAN2 to Bluetooth to HomeRF. It would appear that the industry has plenty of options to choose from in implementing wireless connectivity. But appearances, in this case, are deceiving.

Unfortunately, the wireless technologies available today were never architected for high-speed, low-power transmission of digital video and/or audio. And, with the exception of Bluetooth, they were not designed to be ultra-low-cost solutions for broad consumer adoption.

This leaves the wireless home market, which simultaneously demands high data rates to support multiple stream of digital audio/video, low-power consumption for battery-powered handheld appliances and low costs for broad consumer adoption, without a wireless solution. Consumer electronics manufacturers have been anxious to add wireless connectivity features to their products but have been unable to do so. Video- and audio-intensive applications are what drive the home market today, including DVDs, DVRs, MP3 players, home theaters, gaming consoles, digital and video cameras.

The ability to add a wireless connectivity feature to these consumer electronics products would provide tremendous value for the consumer and would enable differentiation for the OEM. However, high data rates are required to wirelessly transmit audio and video streams. For example, a single stream of digital video can require as much as 2OMbit/sec. And, for many types of consumer electronics applications (PDAs and digital cameras), battery-powered portability is key. Therefore, the wireless technology must have not only high data rates but also low power so it can be embedded in portable applications running on small batteries. Clearly, to effectively serve the home market, we must look beyond current wireless offerings.

A new technology, ultrawideband, meets the technology and cost challenges for the home market. Ultra-wideband is a broadband technology for wirelessly networking electronic devices to one another. It has several advantages over competing technologies including its speed (lOOMbit/sec. and more of data rate), low power and low cost (less than $20 for the bill of materials). Now gaining momentum, there are several consumer electronic companies today that are evaluating ultra-wideband technology for various consumer product offerings.

Ultra-wideband starts with a very low transmit power then spreads that power over an extremely wide swath of radio spectrum. An ultra-wideband transmitter distributes its energy over the equivalent of 1,000 TV channels, or 30,000 FM channels, or 500,000 walkietalkie frequencies. This makes the ultra-wideband signal at any one frequency extremely small. Developed by the U.S. Army and Air Force, ultra-wideband technology originally allowed the airborne imaging of hard-to-find targets that were hidden in forests. Ultra-wideband emits coded, picosecond-length pulses, spread over frequency, across existing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) frequency assignments.

The FCC currently allows use of ultra-wideband technology only for specialized military applications, such as ground-penetrating radar. However, in May 2000 the FCC issued a notice of Proposed Rule Making seeking to permit the operation of ultra-wideband devices on an unlicensed basis, and it is on track for a ruling by the end of this calendar year. Interested parties have filed nearly 700 comments and other submissions with the FCC, and recently more than 40 organizations, including those for law enforcement, public safety and education, banded together to encourage the FCC to move quickly on the approval of ultra-wideband.

Clearly, there is a need and widespread interest in another wireless technology. By permitting the unlicensed use of ultrawideband, the technology can be put to use to save lives, benefit the public and give the technology economy a much needed boost.

Martin Rofheart is the president and CEO at XtremeSpectrum Inc., based in Vienna, Va.