UWB moves in on Europe

The European Commission on Wednesday outlined the mandatory conditions for using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, in a bid to create a single market for the next generation of mass market consumer electronics.

The move paves the way for a new generation of laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras and TVs that can exchange data wirelessly at very high rates over short distances.

“By removing the cables that link the electronic devices we use in everyday life, ultra-wideband technology can extend the Information Society in many areas of society,” said EU Telecoms and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding.

“However, to benefit our citizens, it is important that we establish a functioning single market for these devices in the European Union. By adopting a harmonising decision today, the Commission allows innovators to use this new technology throughout the EU, while ensuring no interference takes place with other wireless users.”

UWB is an attractive technology for the increasingly bandwidth hungry consumer electronics market and while the spectrum is already in use, the low transmission power of the signal ensure that interference is avoided.

The technology would replace cable links between devices, offering the same data rates of up to 480Mbps, around the same speed as USB wired connections available today.