Communication today is more inclusive of our environment than ever before; in fact, the line between communication per sé and our daily activities and movements is no longer clearly definable, nor is communication solely about direct human action and interaction.
Over the last year four shifts in the connectivity market emerged. These include (1) an apparent loss of Freescale in the UWB market, (2) a perhaps consequential shift for PulseLink, (3) a strong move by CSR towards integrating UWB into its offering, and (4) the consequences of releasing pre-standard 802.11n to the marketplace. These four shifts are the central theme of our latest wireless connectivity report.
Freescale, having purchased XtremeSpectrum, became the market leader in UWB with products based on the DS-UWB architecture. Freescale was the most significant competition to the Intel-led MB-OFDM UWB group that eventually dominated the WiMedia Alliance. However, Freescale dropped its UWB product line abruptly in 2006. Apparently Freescale made a corporate decision based on risk reduction with its UWB components due to a perceived inability to obtain a timely ROI. According to many in the industry, Freescale was in full production with its UWB chips and in the process of delivering those components to customers like Belkin when the corporate sector of Freescale decided to cut its losses, leaving several customers in the lurch. This opened the market for domination by MB-OFDM-based UWB methodologies.
While there are many companies and organizations with UWB product development strategies, the WiMedia Alliance and the USB I/F are in competition primarily with scattered and incompatible protocols. The primary target application for the WiMedia membership is a wireless bridge for USB, corresponding initially to home and consumer electronics markets. Secondary targets include enterprise and commercial venues.As the wireless connectivity protocols mature and gain market acceptance, the differentiation between Bluetooth, WiFi, and UWB begin to blur. The same players involved in promoting and developing UWB-based wireless connectivity options are deeply embedded in the furtherance of the IEEE 802.11 family of specifications that drive Wi-Fi into a competitive stance in the wireless broadband arena. While each protocol and technology under development today will eventually find its own unique application and niche within the market, the component OEMs are maintaining their stake in the various initiatives as a means to ensure a place in the wireless connectivity market. In fact, nearly every player in UWB and Wi-Fi has legacy participation in Bluetooth applications. Now it is simply a matter of letting the market and equipment manufacturers define the application of the various wireless connectivity options.
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