This system uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) to transmit information on each of the sub-bands, where each must be more than 500 MHz, according to FCC requirements. OFDM's strong points include high spectral efficiency, resilience to RF interference and extremely efficient energy capture. OFDM also has a solid track record in other commercial technologies such as ADSL, VDSL and 802.11a/g.
The other proposal, direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA), was favored by Motorola and by XtremeSpectrum Inc (the former recently purchased the assets of the latter). While generally more widely accepted, this second proposal still was unable in recent meetings to acquire the needed 75 percent of IEEE voters needed to begin on a standards draft.
This spread spectrum, or code-division multiple access (CDMA), technique spreads the transmitted information across the entire spectrum. While spread-spectrum is well established in commercial technologies such as wideband CDMA, it can be complex because it requires RF and analog circuits along with high speed analog-to-digital converters to process the signal. Because no agreement on a draft standard was reached in recent meetings, the fledgling UWB industry now runs the risk of falling behind its original timetable for having standards-based UWB-enabled gear on the market by early 2005.
"What's One More Network?"
Much of the initial interest in UWB has centered on consumer electronics, where the technology can enable applications such as instant downloading of video from a camcorder to a plasma-screen television.
However, the technology will undoubtedly move into the enterprise. For one thing, PC vendors view UWB as the enabler of wireless USB and wireless 1394. This, in turn, will enable them to untether peripherals such as portable hard drives, printers and DVDs.
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
As we move closer to fully realizing the potential of Wi-Fi 7, it becomes evident that the RF, signaling, and throughput tests are not merely procedural checkpoints but the pillars of excellence in wireless communication.
With low earth orbit (LEO) satellites fast becoming the norm and 3GPP unifying telecom standards around the globe, the satellite IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) sector ought to be looking at a bright horizon. But is this the case?
