By Claus Hetting, WiFi NOW CEO & Chairman
Will ultra-wideband (UWB) finally deliver on the promise of pinpoint-accurate location-based services everywhere? We think yes – and that will be nothing less than a revolution in enterprise networking services. UWB is of course not a Wi-Fi technology but its natural home is integrated into enterprise (and eventually also home) Wi-Fi infrastructure. And that’s a big deal for everyone in this industry.
The kicker here is not just wayfinding in general but wayfinding down (in theory) centimetre accuracy – which means that you will be guided (for example) to the right shelf to find a product at Walmart or Costco. Yes, Wi-Fi has 802.11az but at least for now it hasn’t fostered a significant uptake in real, significant location services. Conversely – unbeknownst to pretty much everyone – UWB is already incorporated into loads of Apple products from iPhones to Apple Watch to tags and AirPods. Android is not far behind.
The use cases are practically endless – particularly when you add asset tracking and proximity for industry and things like UWB radar for occupancy sensing or even breathing detection at short range. These are things that Wi-Fi sensing is also trying to do but admittedly, UWB right now looks like the better (and more commercially viable) option mostly because of the much better RF physics involved.
In the short term UWB – which has already been implemented into Wi-Fi infrastructure by for example by Cisco – will be guiding you to your seat in a stadium or through the endless halls of Universities, museums, and giant health facilities. It will also accurately determine the relative and absolute positions of APs for accurate deployment and – for example – to comply with AFC location requirements.
At WiFi NOW we believe we are not far from a real market breakthrough for UWB technology. WiFi NOW partners including Qualcomm, Qorvo, and Cisco have already incorporated UWB into network APs and client devices. Other key vendors such as Juniper/Mist, NXP, and Infineon are working towards similar ends. In other words: Everything is already in place for the first ever seriously accurate, useful, and scalable location-based service to hit the markets.
So where do we go from here? We believe that the near-future UWB windfall in large part will belong to the Wi-Fi ecosystem. UWB will not be a parallel network infrastructure but instead firmly integrated into Wi-Fi hardware and services. This also means that it is up to the Wi-Fi industry to get exciting new UWB-based location services rolled out as soon as possible. And at WiFi NOW, we’re here to support you.
Starting now, UWB will be an integral part of our editorial calendar including coverage of all the most important UWB news. In June we will be conducting two UWB webinars the first of which will feature Qorvo, Cisco, and others on June 17. We expect to be working closely with additional partners and industry organisations to further the cause. Watch this space!
/Claus.
