UWB, Zigbee chipsets revolutionize WPANs

MUMBAI: The unprecedented increase in consumer demand for wireless connectivity is the prime driver of growth in the ultrawideband (UWB) and ZigBee chipset market.

UWB eliminates the need to deploy huge amounts of wires and cables and provides high-speed data transfer. This makes it the technology of choice for numerous wireless applications such as hand-held devices, since it enables them to be wirelessly interconnected to share data with one another. Zigbee provides a preferable interface for control applications in home and industries.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, World UWB and ZigBee Chipset Market, reveals that the market for UWB chipsets that had nil shipments in 2005 shall generate revenues of $950 million in 2009 while the Zigbee chipsets market generated revenues of $11.3 million in 2005 and is likely to reach $800.0 million in 2009.

"With target data rates of up to 500 Mbits/s, UWB is being targeted at wireless personal area networks (WPANs), audio/video distribution within the home, as well as a cable replacement option for USB and FireWire," notes Industry Manager Deepa Doraiswamy. "UWB is likely to initially find use in consumer applications within the home, with several companies already using the technology to develop applications allowing streaming of DVD-quality video content around the house."

However, a strong deterrent to the uptake of UWB is its lack of a single killer application. UWB is typically considered a wide-ranging, all-encompassing technology, rather than one catering to a specific application segment.

Thus, while this allows UWB to address a large target market, the lack of a killer application is raising questions on which areas will initially adopt this technology. However, the expected emergence of such an application by the end of 2006 is likely to lessen the impact of this challenge and boost UWB's penetration into the industry space.

Another challenge facing chipset manufacturers is the need to choose a process technology that will allow UWB chipsets to offer optimal performance as well as be cost effective. While the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology costs less and enables high integration, the silicon germanium (SiGe) technology offers high die yields and strong power performance. The difficulty of choosing between these two technologies often results in participants having to compromise on one or the other.

ZigBee's low power consumption, costs as well as ease of use make it best suited for control applications such as remote controls and home automation that do not require high data rates. The growing consumer desire to have a fully automated home - where machines virtually run the household without any human supervision - offers excellent opportunities for the implementation of ZigBee chipsets specifically designed to serve such applications.

"To promote adoption of ZigBee, solution providers will have to develop systems that are easy to install and use," says Doraiswamy. "Burying the technical enormity and presenting a simple interface will facilitate adoption and future penetration of this technology."