Bluetooth to adopt Ultra Wideband in 2007

Way back in May we heard the first rumblings of discussions between the Bluetooth SIG and Ultra Wideband proprietors about merging the two standards — well, looks like Bluetooth's pulling the trigger on it, and will be updating their product roadmap to reflect the pairing (pun oh so intended), so that by Q3 2007 Bluetooth should have prototype UWB compatible BT cores a-cookin'. But there are still kinks to be worked out, namely that the two Ultra Wideband heavy hitters — the WiMedia Alliance and UWB Forum — have yet to come together and proceed with a single UWB standard, making the whole thing increasingly sticky for a third party like the Bluetooth SIG to step in and try to adopt the technology. Still, we can totally understand that another couple hundred megabits per second on top of Bluetooth 2.0's 2.1mbps must have been mighty tantalizing, kinks and all.

[Via TUBW]

[Andy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:55AM]

This is exactly what UWB needs. I'm sick of all the wires behind my entertainment center. I nice feature set of tv, stereo, A/V equip supporting UWB would rule.

[Brian Flowers @ Dec 19th 2005 12:55AM]

AHHHH! MORE WIRELESS!!! WHEN WILL IT END!!!

Oh, and isn't bluetooth kinda obsolete?

[Chris McDowell @ Dec 19th 2005 12:55AM]

bluetooth works great for what it was made for. Cellphones printers headsets all that kind of stuff sending a bit of data around. I dont think anything can become obsolete until something better replaces it which has not yet happened.

[Surur @ Dec 19th 2005 12:55AM]

Bluetooth is about cable replacement. So is UWB. Seems like a match made in heaven.

Surur

[hoyce @ Dec 19th 2005 12:55AM]

ZigBee is coming and will obsolete Bluetooth.

[tkr @ Dec 19th 2005 12:55AM]

If Bluetooth gets UWB, how will it be obsolete?

Don't think of Bluetooth as a transport mechanism - that's an aspect (important) but not the important part. Think of Bluetooth as a protocol and communications package, like GSM. The underlying transport is unimportant; the standard and the facilities it provides are the linchpin.

[Mathew Idikula @ Dec 19th 2005 12:55AM]

Well, I guess bluetooth has in fact revolutionised wirefree communication. But still we are not at its optimum. The pairing of bluetooth devices, the concept which involves the first step to security, needs to be smarter and the way it finds and hooks on to the peers need to be real quick and authentic. Hope UWB will enhance setup along with data speeds.

[Pete @ Dec 19th 2005 12:55AM]

Certified wireless USB (based on a UWB PHY) will probably be the way to connect for most gadgets that want to use UWB. The chips are already available from several sources. Perhaps BT can find a niche somewhere, but it will be years behind WUSB.