Ultra-wideband Equipment Shipments to Exceed 400 Million in 2013

(Top News, 11 Mar 2008)

Despite delays in the market launch of ultra-wideband (UWB), ABI Research expects that the industry will see very strong growth starting in 2008, finding its first success in laptops and computer peripherals, and eventually in mobile handsets. Forecasts indicate that shipments of UWB-enabled devices will grow from virtually nil today, to more than 400 million in 2013.

Senior analyst Douglas McEuen says that the ultra-wideband market did not come out of the starting gates in 2006 as anticipated. "There were several reasons for the delay, including a shakeout from three competing flavors of the technology to one, and the absence of global standards," says McEuen.

At present, conditions are ripe for a rapid takeoff, according to ABI Research. Starting from "Year Zero" in 2007, with only about 40,000 UWB-equipped devices shipped, the number is expected to reach a million this year. Because an official UWB standard has now been ratified in the United States, North America is expected to lead this market for some time to come.

The current "sweet spot" in this market is UWB's application as a wireless USB enabler, connecting computers (especially notebooks) with printers, hard drives, and other peripherals. An initial UWB "hub and dongle" configuration will enable users to retrofit the vast number of existing PCs and related equipment with wireless connections. UWB modules are just starting to appear in selected laptops (initially from Lenovo, Dell and Toshiba), but true silicon integration will take more time.

Later, other kinds of consumer electronics such as digital cameras and camcorders, HDTVs, and portable music devices will start to build the numbers. However, McEuen notes, "Real market acceleration will only occur when UWB debuts in mobile handsets, where it will be used—possibly bundled with Bluetooth—to transfer music, pictures and video files. Even a small handset market penetration will deliver huge numbers. For UWB to see wide adoption in handsets, however, the price of the chipset must fall quite significantly."

Click here for more information on the report "Ultra-Wideband Connectivity" by ABI Research