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Tuesday, 4 July 2006
Conclusions
Topic: Other Info
Regulations
There are still large gaps need to be bridged before the UWB emission masks could be agreed for all applications and in all circumstance (indoor and outdoor).
There is no doubt that Administrations have sovereign right to regulate the use of UWB devices within their territory, provided that such devices do not cause harmful interference to stations of other administrations operated in accordance with the Radio Regulations.
However, if each Administration adopts its own emission mask for UWB devices, the manufactures of UWB devices have to design and produce products for different markets, thus increases the cost and has negative impact on the economic benefits that UWB may bring.
Besides, UWB technology will be incorporated in other consumer electronic products, like DVD players, laptop computers, displays and digital cameras, etc. These products are expected to cross national boundaries and it will be a great challenge for Administrations to follow and control their flow. It would be extremely difficult to detect the use of UWB devices, since it is typically not possible to detect a UWB device outside of the room in which it is transmitting.
In short, we believe it is important to form a regulation, especially a generic RF emission mask for UWB devices worldwide. Bearing in mind the substantial economic benefits that might derive from adopting UWB and the importance of protection of other radio services; we think that the best way to minimize the negative impact of UWB devices is to reach a decision on the appropriate UWB regulation as soon as it is practical.
Standards
When it comes to PC-related cable replacement solutions and things like Wireless USB or Wireless Firewire, the multi-band OFDM solution seems the inevitable choice. The MBOA Alliance has the market power and the technical expertise to pull it off, which makes it merely a matter of time. According to their press releases, consumer products can be expected during the year 2005, regardless of the progress in IEEE.
However, this does not mean that Motorola?s UWB proposal will die out. Latest version of the DS-UWB by Freescale Semiconductor (former Motorola?s Semiconductor Products Sector, now spun off) claims to provide 1.3 Gb/s with two meter range and a lot higher efficiency than the MBOA?s proposal (Meade, 2004). It may well be that?after all?the market will get two different UWB versions that both become successful. This would require that the application field, product branding, and usefulness/usability issues eventually produce two very different technologies for different purposes, although at one point they competed for the same standard.
Despite this partly unintentional and very complex evolution path, UWB communications technology is likely to have a very bright future. To summarize all the results in a few words: The UWB in the future will most likely to hold its position in WPAN for home digital entertainment and computing. Most participants believed that UWB will not compete with already popular technologies such as WiFi due to the distance restrictions. As for the standard battles of UWB, the issue will likely to be solved in the consumer market and not IEEE. Whichever standard get the most market share in terms of number of devices produced/sold, will most likely to be the winner.
Monday, 3 July 2006
UWB standards' status quo analysis V
Topic: Standards War
In the market development, both camps have their own alliances, each has its own website. DS-UWB establish UWB Forum, web address is www.uwbforum.org. MBOA is web address is www.multibandofdm.org.
UWB forum currently has 77 members, where there are some colleges and institutions, which account for 15%. MBOA has more than 170 members, nearly collects all the large multinational companies and groups, this is an advantage, because exploitation, development, implementation of a new technology and a product need a large amount of devoiton, far from one of two company can support. Moreover, one important application of UWB is connect all the family electrcal equipment into a piconet, that need that volume of equipments'support, so it means that alrge numbers of manufactures are requested to produce this kind of products.
So what is UWB's status in quo? How long the customers could enjoy the experience of using this new techinique and standard? In fact, exploitation of a new product need four phases: 1. chip phase; 2. model phase; 3. system phase; 4. manufacture phase. Now, both DS-UWB and MBOA are in the model pahse. Customers still need to wait, even they arrive to the manufacture phase, the products need be tested by the market, which need the effort from the whole industry chain.
Put aside UWB, we should notice that UWB is not the only technique in the digital family domain. 802.11 is also one active participant, the disadvantage of WLAN is its lower transmission rate and can't sufficiently support the multimedia data stream, however, it has one advantage of long transmission distance. At present, 802.11 is trying to break through these bottlenecks, it's worthy to pay attention to its future implementation. the limitation of UWB's short transmission distance makes it only could build piconet, it can't not realize the true whole family network without the help of the wired techiniques such as 1394a/b, USB2.0 or UWB OTG. In addition, it's more imperious to exploit the applied interfaces between UWB products and these wired products.
Sunday, 2 July 2006
Weekly summary <26, June --- 30, June>
Topic: Weekly Summary
UWB standards' status quo analysis is my study emphasis for the last week, based on the privious study, I compared the techniques of DS-CDMA and MBOA, their advatages and disadvatages in the implementation.
27,June --- UWB standards' status quo analysis I
28,June --- UWB standards' status quo analysis II
29,June --- UWB standards' status quo analysis III
30,June --- UWB standards' status quo analysis IV
In the following two days, the conclusions of this analysis will be given.
Friday, 30 June 2006
UWB standards' status quo analysis IV
Topic: Standards War
Back to the UWB standards war, which one (DS-CDMA& MBOA) is better on earth? Actually, each has advantages and disadvantages. DS-CDMA occupies a single radio frequency band, devices transmit very narrow pulses (less than 1ns). Multiple transmission tasks can share the whole frequency band. It has been shown that the system has a narrow band interference suppression effect, UWB cost is low, and the speed coming into the market is fast, DS-CDMA easily realize low power consumption, and wireless transmission of low rate data stream, high rate wireless data, and media stream. MBOA occupies multi-band, easily to implement in techinique, low power consumption, high use efficiency of frequency band. OFDM for each subband was added to the initial multiband approach in order to develop the best technical solution for UWB. This allows the selective implementation of bands at certain frequency ranges while leaving other parts of the spectrum unused. The dynamic ability of the radio to operate in certain areas of the spectrum is important because it can adapt to regulatory constraints imposed by governments around the world.
To the point of wireless frequency administration, there are two basic principles: 1. New wireless technology should not detrimentally interferes the existed the wireless system. 2. No protection request from the new wireless techinique, it means that new wireless techinique should tolerance all the interferences from the existed wireless systems.
It's difficult for the DS-CDMA, since it utilize the whole frequency band from 3.1GHz---10.6GHz, while some existed wireless techniques occupy some of these frequencies. For example, the carrier frequency of 802.11p is 5.8GHz; whereas MBOA uses several subbands, it's able to keep away from these frequencies.
In my opinion , both techniques are quite well.
Thursday, 29 June 2006
UWB standards' status quo analysis III
Topic: Standards War
Not like USB, Wireless 1394 is supported by both DS-CDMA and MBOA. The wireless 1394 memerbers are more than USB members. Although Intel and Philips haven't joined this group, there are consumed electronic manufacturing corporations such as Sony, Panasonic and Mitsubishi; PC and OEM companies such as Apple, Quantum and Oxford Semiconductor and also software campanies such as Mindready, AVividlogic and Molex. They commit themselves to build a 1394 PAL in order to support the 400Mbps data transfer based on wireless 1394. In addition, they need to cooperate with Wimedia Alliance to achieve the compatability and co-operability.
WiMedia's tasks are seemed more, it need to build one program to authentication and ensuring the co-operability. It should support the multiple protocols' structure, such as wireless USB, wireless 1394 and DLNA, to support the fair trade and data transmission safty; support the plug and play using in the multi-media stream.
So we see that the whole UWB should be an integral system, not only DS-CDMA or MBOA. Only understand this point well, can people really understand true UWB. Only supporting all of these protocols, is UWB a complete system.
Posted by tracycq at 7:38 PM MEST
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Updated: Thursday, 29 June 2006 8:55 PM MEST
Wednesday, 28 June 2006
UWB standards' status quo analysis II
Topic: Standards War
To understand the UWB, we should know UWB not only point to the DS-CDMA or MBOA, both of them only position at the bottom of the UWB whole structure. UWB are more than these:
Wireless UWB;
Wireless 1394; Application Profile;
DLNA(Digital Living Network Alliance) compliant;
PAL:Protocol Adaption Layer);
UPnP/IP;
Wimedia Convergence Platform;
DS-CDMA or MBOA Specification;
DS-CDMA or MBOA Specification layer could be divided into two sub-layers: PHY layer and MAC layer. Above the convergence layer, there're diverse techonology solutions sharing a common UWB radio platform.
MBOA also has support from the Wireless USB Promoters Group, whereas DS-CDMA not. It is a disadvantage to the DS-CDMA.
Posted by tracycq at 9:52 AM MEST
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Updated: Wednesday, 28 June 2006 10:39 AM MEST
Tuesday, 27 June 2006
UWB standards' status quo analysis I
Mood:
 accident prone
Topic: Standards War
UWB is a short distance wireless communication mode, it transmits data at the rate of 100Mbps within the range of 10 meters. This knid of communication is applicable for the family use, have a broad market foreground.
There was a drastic combat among the UWB standards (more than 20); now there are two left, one is DS-UWB(it is sustained by Freescale and Motorola), and the other one is MBOA (it is sustained by Texas Instruments(IT) and Intel).
From the Technique view, DS-UWB and MBOA can not compromise with each other, DS-UWB once proposed a CSM (commom signal mode) in order to allow these two classes of devices(DS-UWB and MBOA) to operate together to both avoid interference and allow inter-operability. However, it's impossible to achieve in techniques, so it's rejected by MBOA, IEEE and UWB alliance.
From the product view, DS-UWB was a little bit faster at the beginning, its product demo had been shown at Networld+Interop Las Vegas in 2004, but its following development are slow, the problems uncovered at that time still exist now, such as too large power consumption, two antenna need to be used during the transmission and receiving. On the other hand, MBOA is overtaking DS-UWB, Staccato’s new Ripcord™ UWB Development Kit (SC3100D) was achieved in the first quarter 2004, they successfully included a UWB chip with the MAC layer implemented initially in an FPGA. In 2006, IOGEAR's UWB hub, SIG's portable harddisk based UWB technology, NEC's optical transceiver were accomplished in series, all of them based on MBOA, whose superiority is guradually bring forth.
Sunday, 25 June 2006
Weekly summary <19, June --- 24, June>
Topic: Weekly Summary
last week, I analyzed the lastest UWB report from IMS Research. In addition, the European Communications Committee (ECC)'s contribution to the European UWB regualtion was investigated. There was also one contiuaion talking about the UWB device based on the WiMedia's proposed standards.
20,June --- UWB market prediction from IMS Research
21,June --- some UWB devices based on the WiMedia's proposed standards III
22,June --- ECC's contribution to the UWB regulation for Europe
Thursday, 22 June 2006
ECC's contribution to the UWB regulation for Europe
Topic: Regulations
The European Communications Committee (ECC) has studied the possibility to allow the use of UWB
on an unlicensed basis. The first public inquiry was released in October 2004 with
the commenting deadline at the end of the same year. Reference also listed 15
different victim systems in three categories selected for coexistence studies. The general
categories are; mobile and portable stations, fixed outdoor stations and
satellite/aeronautical on-board receivers. Authorization for the process was given by the
European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
The underlying objective of the mandate was to provide ECC and the European Commission with the necessary information to develop one or more technical implementing measures harmonising the use of the radio spectrum to enable the timely introduction of UWB technology within Europe.
To support the development and deployment of UWB technology it is essential that common spectrum, with the associated regulatory framework and harmonised standards, becomes available throughout Europe as soon as possible.
This Decision is intended to assist Europe to enhance competitiveness in the ICT sector by using the regulatory framework to foster competition and the introduction of new communication technologies.
A commitment by CEPT member countries to implement an ECC Decision will provide a clear indication that the required frequency range will be made available on time and on a Europe-wide basis and that the means to ensure protection of existing services will be applied.
ECC Decision
of 24 March 2006
1. that this ECC Decision defines general harmonised conditions for the use in Europe of devices using UWB technology in bands below 10.6 GHz;
2. that the devices permitted under this ECC Decision are exempt from individual licensing and operate on a non-interference, non-protected basis;
3. that this ECC Decision is not applicable to:
a) flying models,
b) outdoor installations and infrastructure, including those with externally mounted antennas,
c) devices installed in road and rail vehicles, aircraft and other aviation;
4. that devices covered by the scope of this ECC Decision are not allowed to be used at a fixed outdoor location or connected to a fixed outdoor antenna;
5. that the technical requirements detailed in Annex 1 apply to devices permitted under this ECC Decision;
6. that this Decision enters into force on 24 March 2006;
7. that the preferred date for implementation of this Decision shall be 1 October 2006;
8. that CEPT administrations shall communicate the national measures implementing this Decision to the ECC Chairman and the Office when the Decision is nationally implemented.”
In Europe, the most dangerous threat for UWB market expansion might be that UWB has not been classified as a radio service in the radio regulations. If having this status, the frequency authority should handle the UWB technique differently than as a source of unintentional radiation. The system defined as a radio service has precisely defined system parameters, not only a
limiting mask, which under it has to operate. The ECC's decision on 24,March,2006 indicated the Eureopean countries govenments' determination of expediting to establish the UWB regualtion. ECC's decision paved the way for the coherent UWB regulation in Europe.
Posted by tracycq at 6:58 PM MEST
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Updated: Thursday, 22 June 2006 6:59 PM MEST
Wednesday, 21 June 2006
some UWB devices based on the WiMedia's proposed standards III
Topic: Other Info
IOGEAR announces UWB hub
IOGEAR is showing off their new Ultra-Wideband Hub and Adapter solution at Computex in Taiwan this week. Like the Belkin CableFree USB hub we've seen ponied-out at trade shows previously (but still not launched), this 4-port hub offers wireless USB 2.0 connectivity to desktop peripherals via a USB dongle which communicates with the hub at 480Mbps at up to 30 feet away. However, unlike Belkin's Freescale-based solution supported by Motorola, IOGEAR's box is based on the WiMedia Alliance MB-OFDM technology backed by heavy-hitters such as Intel and Philips. IOGEAR claims a ship date of Q3 2006 but remains mum on the price. Oh, and we'll slap up a product image just as soon as we troll one down.
----by Thomas Ricker
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