Ultrawideband rides to Bluetooth's rescue
Published: 04 May 2005 09:15 BST
The hodgepodge of incompatible wireless networking technologies is about to get a bit smaller as companies working on Bluetooth and Ultrawideband are combining their efforts.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is expected to announce on Wednesday that it will work with Ultrawideband developers to make their wireless networking technologies compatible. The move will allow developers and eventually consumers to take advantage of the high transfer rates of the Ultrawideband technology — between 100Mbps and 200Mbps over a range of 3m-6m — on the broad array of devices that now include Bluetooth technology.
There are a number of incompatible networking technologies, such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, Ultrawideband and NFC, which have some similar uses but are better tuned for different situations. For example, Wi-Fi has a good range and throughput and can be used in most wireless networking situations, but it can consume a significant amount of battery life in portable devices. Bluetooth has low power consumption and is viewed as a better networking fit in devices such as mobile phones.
Combining the efforts of Bluetooth and Ultrawideband supporters is a natural evolution for the wireless networking market, analysts say.
The motivation behind the move came from several driving factors, said Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. Key members of the Bluetooth SIG are also key players in the development of the Ultrawideband specification, including Intel and Motorola, and with the proliferation of digital media, it was apparent higher rates would be necessary to make it easier for consumers to send and receive data.
"Within the SIG as we worked on our multi-year roadmap, it was apparent that higher rates would be necessary, then we debated whether to collaborate or combine," Foley said. "Protecting the install base was very important."
Foley added that as long as backward compatibility of current devices with Bluetooth technology could work with future versions that are Ultrawideband compatible, collaborating was the best move.
"Working on your own on obstacles we have in common was proving, time, resource and money intensive," Foley said.
The way it will work is that when current devices with Bluetooth search "discover" other Bluetooth devices, they will also find that higher transfer rates — this is the Ultrawideband technology — will be allowed so data will flow faster.
Bluetooth technology is in a revival of sorts after high expectations of the networking technology were set by the media and the industry, which products using the technology were not able to meet. High chip prices also slowed it use and gradually other technologies, such as Wi-Fi, filled the uses that Bluetooth was supposed to cover.
Chip prices have been falling to around $2 to $2.50, said Foley, thanks in large part to European mobile phones that come with Bluetooth. European volumes helped lower chip prices and now Bluetooth in gaining share in the United States, where the mobile market is less mature.
There are still details to be worked out in the agreement. The Ultrawideband specification is still heatedly debated by two industry groups with opposing proposals for a standard. The Bluetooth SIG will work with both groups, but a single solution would be better, Foley said. Additionally, the Ultrawideband specification still needs approval from European and Asian regulatory bodies.
Products are expected in a couple of years, said Foley, with the first likely being PC and display-related devices.
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