OYSTER BAY, N.Y.--A battle between wireless carriers and supporters of ultrawideband (UWB) has been unfolding, possibly hindering the market potential for this emerging technology, according to a report from Allied Business Intelligence (ABI) here today.
Wireless carriers, avionics equipment makers, and other entities have deep pockets and considerable power to lobby against UWB technology, according to the Oyster Bay-based research firm. And lack of standards and "spurious emissions" also remain a huge concern for the mass adoption of UWB.
"The FCC has spent over two years of extensive testing in order to come up with a guide for the use of UWB," said Paul Marcik, an analyst at Allied Business Intelligence (ABI).
"Over 900 companies have filed concerns of its use and still the FCC has allowed it. And letters of concern still are rolling into the FCC. Until a standard is set where all communications segments are satisfied this technology will have problems," Marcik said.
While UWB faces some major hurdles, the technology is holds tremendous potential. Worldwide shipments for UWB-enabled electronics and chip sets could reach 45.1 million units by 2007, with revenues of $1.39 billion by the end of that year, according to ABI. These projections include shipments into market segments, such as communications, imaging, vehicles, locators and military.
