Ultra-Wideband (UWB Technology)

Enabling high-speed reless personal area networks.

This paper is intended as an update and illustrates recent trends in UWB communications for multi-user
networking applications. Ultra wideband (UWB) is an emerging communications technology that offers
high data rates over short distances with a low probability of intercept.
Wireless connectivity has enabled a new mobile lifestyle filled with conveniences for mobile computing users.
Consumers will soon demand the same conveniences throughout their digital home ,connecting their PCs,
personal digital recorders, MP3 recorders and players, digital camcorders and digital cameras, high-definition
TVs (HDTVs), set-top boxes (STBs), gaming systems, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and cell phones, to
connect to eachother in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) in the home.But today’s wireless LAN and
WPAN technologies cannot meetthe needs of tomorrow’s connectivity of such a host of emerging consumer
electronic devices that require high bandwidth. A new technology is needed to meet the needs of high-speed
WPANs.Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology offers a solution for the bandwidth, cost, power consumption, and
physical size requirements of next-generation consumer electronic devices. UWB enables wireless connectivity
with consistent high data rates across multiple devices and PCs within the digital home and the office. This
emerging technology provides the high bandwidth that multiple digital video and audio streams require throughout
the home.With the support of industry workgroups, such as the wireless universal serial bus (USB) workgroup, and
technology leaders, like Intel, UWB technology promises to make it easy to create highspeed WPANs that can
connect devices throughout the home.
Introduction
The benefits of an increasingly mobile lifestyle introduced bywireless technologies in cell phones and home PCs
have resulted in greater demand for the same benefits in other consumer
devices. Consumers enjoy the increased convenience of wireless
connectivity. They will soon demand it for their video recording
and storage devices, for real-time audio and video (AV) streaming,
interactive gaming, and AV conferencing services as the need for
digital media becomes more predominate in the home.
Many technologies used in the digital home, such as digital video
and audio streaming, require high-bandwidth connections to communicate.
Considering the number of devices used throughout
the digital home, the bandwidth demand for wireless connectivity
among these devices becomes very large indeed. The wireless
networking technologies developed for wirelessly connecting
PCs, such as Wi-Fi* and Bluetooth* Technology, are not optimized

Executive summary – New technology that takes advantage of available

wireless spectra holds out the possibility for enabling whole new businesses.
In addition to wireless high definition television, compact, integrated devices
make it possible to connect more consumer devices reliably, provide radar
safety devices for cars and enhance the security features of high-capacity
communications for individuals.
The development will enable the truly wireless office and home of the future. As the
integrated transceiver is extremely small, it can be embedded into devices. The
breakthrough will mean the networking of office and home equipment without wires will
finally become a reality.

In this paper we present a low cost, low power and high broadband chip, which will be
vital in enabling the digital economy of the future.
n theory this technology would transfers GB’s of your fav high definition movies in
seconds. So GiFi can be considered as a challenger to Bluetooth rather than Wi-Fi and
could find applications ranging from new mobile phones to consumer electronics.
“An entire high-definition movie from a video shop kiosk could be transmitted to a
mobile phone in a few seconds, and the phone could then upload the movie to a home
computer or screen at the same speed,”

Mobile internet and broadband technology is the new trend in cell phone users. People
prefer to listen to music, watch videos, send and receive emails and communicate to each
other while they are on the move, and to be able to do that they need mobile broadband or
mobile internet. With so many people hooked on to the virtual world and the mobile
technologies, there is no doubt that there would still be many more developments in this
field.

“It uses the 60GHz “millimetre wave” spectrum to transmit the data, which gives it an
advantage over WiFi (wireless internet),” Nick writes. “WiFi’s part of the spectrum is
increasingly crowded, sharing the waves with devices such as cordless phones, which
leads to interference and slower speeds. “But the millimetre wave spectrum (30 to 300
GHz) is almost unoccupied, and the new chip is potentially hundreds of times faster than
the average home WiFi unit.”

GiFi operates on the 60 GHz frequency band which is for the most part unused. Of course
the possibilities are endless. Portable electronics, computers, home theater multimedia
equipment; imagine your set top box being able to receive wireless streams at 5 Gbps!
You might not have to imagine for very long if all goes well. GiFi could be ready for
prime time in 2009 and with a cost-per-chip of approximately $10, it shouldn’t take very
long to be widely adopted.
February 22, 2008 03:36 PM

Researchers in Australia have developed a tiny chip that can transmit data wirelessly at 5
Gbps over a distance of nearly 11 yards, a capability that could have a major impact on
the way consumer electronics, such as digital TVs, mobile phones, and DVD players,
communicate with each other

The "GiFi" chip, which measures 0.2 of an inch on each side, was developed at
Melbourne University-based labs of the National Information and Communications
Technology research center, The Age reported. The high transmission rate of the chip
would make it possible, for example, to transfer a high-definition movie from a video
kiosk to a mobile device in a few seconds.

Government agencies must protect private data. The CIO of California's Public Utilities
Commission talks about her concerns about privacy in the cloud computing model.
"I believe in the longer term every consumer device will have this technology," project
leader Stan Skafidas told the newspaper. Skafidas and his team have been developing the
chip for almost a decade.

Skafidas and his team claim to be the first to demonstrate a working transceiver-on-a-
chip that uses CMOS, or complementary metal oxide semiconductor. CMOS is a
particular style of digital circuitry design used in microprocessors.
Coming to a Desktop Near You: Gigabit Wi-Fi
By Ed Sutherland

Just when you thought you'd tweaked your company's 802.11g network to blast 54Mbps
to the desktop

comes a veteran of the broadband wars talking of 2 Gigabit per second (Gbps) Wi-Fi
connections. Wireless Gigabit to the Desktop (wGTTD) aims to make Ethernet in the
enterprise obsolete.

wGTTD, sometimes cutely referred to as 'Gi-Fi', opens up the prospect of massive file
transfers, smooth video-on-demand and lucrative data mining.

The move comes following a decision by the Federal Communications Commission to

open up the 56Ghz band for possible high-speed wireless LAN use.

Wireless networks "are absolutely going in that direction," comments Feisal Mosleh, a
marketing vice president at Vernier Networks. The WLAN network management firm
plans to offer its enterprise customers support for multi-gigabit connections.

"People need more and more" wireless data, says Mosleh, who quickly agrees with the
notion of a completely wireless workplace.

A number of companies -- from Agere to Intel -- are targeting gigabit desktop

connections. Major Wi-Fi chip provider Broadcom sees the rise of digital packrats. "No
one throws anything away," said Broadcom CEO Alan Ross in a recent interview.

Gigabit Ethernet
sales -- the wired kind -- are expected to reach $850 million by 2007, according to
researchers at IDC. So the desire for a wireless version is understandable.

Although little is known about the company proposing wGTTD -- NewLANs -- other
than a few PowerPoint slides and a couple online blurbs, the man behind the concept has
a long track record bringing broadband to you.

Dev Gupta formed, then sold, several network providers. In 1995, just as DSL was
appearing on the horizon, Gupta created Dagaz. In 1998, Gupta started MaxComm
Technologies, a company enabling new broadband connections to carry voice and data
simultaneously. Both companies were bought by Cisco.

Most recently, at Narad, Gupta led the charge putting cable in the broadband cat bird seat
once the sole property of the Baby Bells.

While cable modems traditionally max out at around 3Mbps throughput, Narad is
working to uncap that limit and provide hundreds of megabits per second to enterprises.
Such a move would allow cable to expand its customer base from the current consumer-
dominated one to the lucrative enterprise. Even faster cable modem service would also
steal the lunch of telecomm companies who have traditionally supplied high-speed
connections to businesses.

In an interview with Wi-Fi Planet, Gupta says he hopes to eventually market his wGTTD
idea to Cisco customers. Ironically, many of Gupta's past ventures were later snapped up
by Cisco.

While Gupta hopes to see a wGTTD standard materialize by the middle of 2004, the
entrepreneur says his next step is a return trip in March before the IEEE, where he will
present more details of Gi-Fi. In November 2003, Gupta went before the IEEE's
LAN/MAN Standards Committee Plenary Meeting where he presented a tutorial
explaining Gi-Fi. Paul Nikolich, head of the IEEE committee, refused comment on the
proposal.

Will Gi-Fi surpass Wi-Fi? While wGTTD supporters see potential uses for the
technology, current wired and wireless users do not need a 2Gbps connection to read e-
mail, open an attachment or even conduct VoIP conversations. If Gi-Fi has a purpose, it
may be more akin to the nearly identical and already-approved 802.16 MAN standard.

As growing numbers of electronic devices

find their way into the average home, they’re
bringing with them an annoying companion:
rats-nests of connector cables.
Short-range wireless technologies have
long been seen as a solution, however most
cannot deliver the multi-gigabit speeds needed
to transmit high-quality video signals. Those
that can have been prohibitively expensive.
NICTA’s GiFi research team has overcome
both of these challenges. It has successfully
developed a 60GHz wireless transmission
module housed on a single silicon chip.
Once high volume production begins, low cost
chips will be produced.
The Features
• Multi-gigabit wireless technology that removes
the need for cables between consumer
electronic devices
• More than 100 times faster than current
short-range wireless technologies
• Allows wireless streaming of uncompressed
high-definition content
• Operates over a range of 10 metres without
interference
• Entire transmission system can be built on
a cost effective single silicon chip
• Operates in the unlicensed, 57-64 GHz
spectrum band.
The Benefits
• Removes need for cables to connect consumer
electronics devices
• Low-cost chip allows technology to be readily
incorporated into multiple devices
• Secure encryption technology ensures privacy
and security of content
• Simple connection improves the consumer
experience
• Enhancements to next generation gaming
technology.
The NICTA Approach
The NICTA GiFi research team has succeeded
in taking complex 60GHz transmission
technology and shrinking it to the point where
it can be built on a single silicon chip.
The NICTA team’s expertise in wireless
transmission technology means this technology
is now at the point where it can have a dramatic
impact on the way consumer electronic devices
are used in the home.
The Future
• The GiFi team is looking for partners interested
in commercialising its 60GHz chips
• Demonstrations of the technology can be
arranged showing the huge potential it has to
change the way consumers use their in-home
electronic devices
• With growing consumer adoption of highdefinition
television, the anticipated worldwide

market for this technology is vast.

In part, commercial applications are driven by the spectrum
availability. Again, the 60 GHz band is available unlicensed worldwide. This is the
only real choice for doing things like wireless Gigabit (Gbit) Ethernet, streaming
video like HDTV (high definition television) or TiVo systems, for example.
This technology is directly applicable to the automotive radars that Mercedes,
Jaguar and others are starting to sell. And, think about the mesh networks that are
beginning to turn up. Those are networks that form around anyone with a
communications device like a WLAN (wireless local area network) or cell phone.
With this technology, you can have cars talking to one another as you drive, alerting
each other to accidents that the drivers can't even see. On the military side, there
are many uses as well. They want future combat systems such as troops with

covert communications that are wearable and secure, another perfect benefit [of] band.

Mobile broadband technology- speed on the go

Mobile broadband technology is the next generation evolution which changed the way
how we communicated. Basically, with the help of mobile broadband, the computer users
can surf the internet, send and receive email from anywhere they like even outside their
home.

Mobile broadband works on the same technology on which cell phones work. It is all
about the radio frequencies and waves. The cell phone radio towers and cell phones send
packets of information back and forth through radio waves. For cell phone broadband, the
information packets can be data like streaming video, music files, web pages and e-mails.

Basically, there are two technologies which are used to operate the networks of cell
phones- CDMA (Code division multiple access) and GSM (Global System for mobile
communications). GSM is quite popular in Asia and Europe while CDMA is popular in
the US. There are quite major differences between these systems and the way that they
operate. Both of these use different types of algorithms which allow several cell phone
users to share the same frequency without interfering the usage of others.

Mobile broadband is known as third generation mobile technology or 3G. CDMA and
GSM both have their 3G technology solutions for allowing users to deliver high speed
access to the internet on mobile devices.

Mobile internet and broadband technology is the new trend in cell phone users. People
prefer to listen to music, watch videos, send and receive emails and communicate to each
other while they are on the move, and to be able to do that they need mobile broadband or
mobile internet. With so many people hooked on to the virtual world and the mobile
technologies, there is no doubt that there would still be many more developments in this
field.

Main application areas include:

• Internet Access and Multimedia Services: Regardless of the envisioned environment (home,
office, hot spot), very high data rates (> 1 Gbit/s) have to be provided – either due to high peak data
rates, high numbers of users, or both.
• Wireless peripheral interfaces: A growing number of devices (laptop, mobile phone, PDA, headset,
etc.) are employed by users to organize themselves in their daily life. The required data exchange is
expected to happen as conveniently as possible or even automatically. Standardized wireless
interconnection is highly desirable to replace cables and proprietary plugs [8][9]. It has to be
emphasized, however, that wireless solutions in this context will be attractive mainly for battery-
powered devices without the need for an external power supply.
• Location based services: To supply the user with the information he/she currently needs, at any place
and any time (e.g. location aware services in museums or at exhibitions), the users’ position has to be
accurately measured. UWB techniques may be used to accommodate positioning techniques and data
transmission in a single system for indoor and outdoor operation.
C. Home Networking and Home Electronics

One of the most promising commercial application areas for UWB technology is
wireless connectivity of different home electronic systems. It is thought that many
electronics manufacturers are investigating UWB as the wireless means to connect
together devices such as televisions, DVD players, camcorders, and audio systems,
which would remove some of the wiring clutter in the living room. This is particularly
important when we consider the bit rate needed for high-definition television that is
in excess of 30Mbps over a distance of at least a few meters.
D. Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN)

WBANs are another example of how our life could be influenced by UWB. Probably the most
promising application in this context is medical body area networks. Due to the proposed
energy efficient operation of UWB, battery driven handheld equipment is feasible, making it
perfectly suitable for medical supervision. Moreover, UWB signals are inherently robust against
jamming, offering a high degree of reliability, which will be necessary to provide accurate
patient health information and reliable transmission of data in a highly obstructed radio
environment.

The possibility to process and transmit a large amount of data and transfer vital information using UWB
wireless body area networks would enable tele-medicine to be the solution for future medical treatment of
certain conditions. In addition, the ability to have controlled power levels would provide flawless
connectivity between body-distributed networks. UWB also offers good penetrating properties that could
be applied to imaging in medical applications; with the UWB body sensors this application could be easily
reconfigured to adapt to the specific tasks and would enable high data rate connectivity to external
processing networks (e.g. servers and large workstations).
 STBs PVRs Mobile
HDT CE Cluster
V
VCR Cluster
s camcorders
mobile
phone
MP3 3G
handset
console
DVD tablets s
games
cameras players PDA
audio camera s
systems phones handheld PCs
speakers laptops
storage scanners
device
s
PC
printers Cluster
Scanner
s