Despite the recent vote to disband by the UWB IEEE task group IEEE 802.15.3a, the two member alliances plan to seek certification from different standards bodies as they venture to market with their two different UWB technologies. The two alliances are the UWB Forum, which supports the DS-CDMA, and the WiMedia Alliance, supporting multiand-OFDM (MB-OFDM). While recent events have generated much controversy about the effectiveness of standards bodies, they also raise the question of how vendor strategy and consumer preferences blend to shape UWB wireless technology markets.

According to Eric Broockman, CEO of Alereon, a leading member of the WiMedia Alliance, the dissolution of the IEEE UWB standards group is not as drastic as it may appear on the surface. For one thing, if the recent deadlock had not been resolved by December of 2006, the working group would have dissolved automatically according to IEEE rules for a standards body. Another observation from Martin Rofheart, director of UWB operations for Freescale Semiconductor, is that standards only make sense in a large and growing market, and that UWB technology has not yet reached that level of maturity. Freescale is a member of the UWB Forum.

The IEEE regulations in place for governing a standards body may require reform before a second attempt is made to establish an UWB standard. Broockman said that in its present form, voting power is distributed across individuals, not corporations. Therefore, a majority of people might not reflect the majority consensus of the affected industry. Another difficulty noted by Rofheart is that a standard with high technical merit could also adversely affect the business strategy of one or more voting members, thereby creating a conflict of interest between business and technical issues.

Both alliances will seek standards for their respective UWB protocols. A specification with Ecma International, a Swiss standards body, has already been completed for WiMedia. The two groups plan to take this specification to the ISO, with expected approval happening this summer. The UWB Forum has also approached a standards body outside IEEE.

While there are many exciting possibilities for UWB applications, especially in portable electronic devices and wireless handsets, both alliances have targeted wireless USB for PC applications as a path to market maturity and future growth. Belkin’s CableFree USB Hub, which uses the protocol supported by the UWB Forum, recently won The Best of CES Award in the Peripherals category. This summer, consumers will also be introduced to WiMedia-based products with the logo “Certified Wireless USB from the USB-IF.”

Given the determination of the UWB industry and wide professional respect for the IEEE, it may be fair to say that UWB technology and the recently exited IEEE standards selection process will meet again on brighter terms after both have had the chance to evolve.

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