L'état de l'UWB en 2024

La technologie UWB (bande ultra-large) existe depuis de nombreuses années, mais il y a encore quelques années, elle était encore une technologie de niche et n'était adoptée que par un petit nombre d'entreprises pionnières. Les récents chiffres de croissance du marché montrent une forte augmentation du succès de l'UWB dans les produits de consommation tels que les smartphones, les montres intelligentes, les appareils domestiques intelligents, ainsi que dans l'automobile et l'industrie systèmes de localisation en temps réel (RTLS).

2024 verra probablement l'adoption continue de cette technologie qui est en passe de devenir la norme mondiale. En 2024, l'UWB continue d'être la technologie sans fil clé pour la connaissance spatiale et les services basés sur la localisation. Il est évident que l'UWB est là pour durer.

L'UWB a été reconnue et louée pour ses capacités techniques et ses avantages. Cependant, cela ne garantit pas à lui seul l'adoption généralisée d'une technologie. Dans cet article, nous abordons les différents aspects non techniques qui sont à la base du succès commercial de la technologie.

Dans cet aperçu, nous aborderons les sujets suivants :

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1. Principales applications de la technologie à bande ultralarge

Ci-dessous, nous listons les trois principales applications de l'UWB en 2024.

L'UWB dans les produits de consommation

La plus grande adoption de l'UWB a été observée dans les produits de consommation, principalement sur le marché des smartphones. En 2023, environ 70 % de toutes les puces UWB expédiées étaient intégrées à un smartphone. Apple montre clairement la voie et a ajouté des fonctionnalités UWB à de nombreux produits de consommation de son écosystème afin de soutenir ce que l'on appelle la « conscience spatiale » de ses appareils. Cependant, d'autres grands fournisseurs de smartphones tels que Samsung et Xiaomi ont emboîté le pas en adoptant l'UWB dans leurs derniers modèles.

À la base de cela se trouve le Consortium FiRA (Fine Ranging) qui vise à transformer la façon dont nous interagissons avec notre environnement en permettant une localisation précise des personnes et des appareils. Le consortium FiRA a développé une norme qui décrit un ensemble commun de protocoles pour permettre des applications telles que le contrôle d'accès physique, la maison intelligente, la navigation intérieure, la distanciation sociale ou le suivi des actifs.

En 2023, la version 2.0 de FiRA a été lancée, ce qui permet de nombreuses nouvelles applications. On s'attend donc à ce qu'une large gamme de nouveaux produits de consommation soient mis sur le marché en tirant parti de cette nouvelle norme. En particulier sur le marché des serrures intelligentes, nous prévoyons la mise sur le marché de nouveaux produits tirant parti de la précision et de la sécurité UWB, ce qui améliorera l'expérience d'utilisation de ces systèmes avec votre smartphone.

UWB dans le RTLS industriel

En raison des capacités de télémétrie précises de l'UWB, cette technologie s'est révélée une technologie évidente pour les systèmes de localisation en temps réel. Grâce à la technologie UWB, les systèmes RTLS peuvent fournir un positionnement en temps réel avec une précision de 10 à 30 cm, même dans les environnements les plus difficiles. UWB RTLS est principalement utilisé dans l'industrie minière, la fabrication, la distribution mais également dans les domaines de la santé, de l'agriculture, de la vente au détail ou même du sport.

Avant que l'UWB ne devienne une technologie courante en raison de l'adoption des smartphones, l'UWB RTLS était le principal moteur d'utilisation de cette technologie. Cependant, l'adoption de la technologie RTLS a été beaucoup plus lente que celle des produits de consommation. L'adoption dans un contexte industriel tend à être un progrès lent et progressif. Cependant, l'époque où l'UWB devait encore faire ses preuves en tant que technologie fiable dans des environnements difficiles est révolue. Aujourd'hui, l'UWB RTLS est considéré comme la référence absolue en matière de positionnement intérieur précis.

À peu près au même moment où la FiRA a débuté en 2019, une autre norme est apparue, appelée Norme Omlox. Cette norme était spécifiquement destinée aux applications RTLS industrielles afin d'assurer l'interopérabilité entre les fournisseurs de systèmes RTLS, ainsi qu'entre les applications RTLS (logicielles). Bien que la version initiale de la norme n'ait jamais été mise sur le marché, la récente publication de la version 2 d'Omlox en 2023 ouvre lentement la voie à une adoption plus large de la norme.

L'UWB dans l'automobile

L'automobile est un autre domaine d'application (à venir) de l'UWB où la technologie est intégrée aux véhicules pour prendre en charge une gamme de fonctionnalités. Les principaux constructeurs tels que BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, GM et récemment aussi Tesla ont déjà lancé des véhicules équipés de l'UWB ou y travaillent activement.

La fonctionnalité « entrée intelligente », qui verrouille et déverrouille intelligemment un véhicule en fonction de l'emplacement de la clé, est l'un des principaux moteurs de cette technologie. Cependant, la prochaine réglementation sur la détection de la présence d'enfants (CPD) pourrait potentiellement devenir un moteur encore plus important pour la technologie UWB. Pour soutenir cette capacité, la télémétrie UWB ne suffira pas et devra s'appuyer sur les capacités radar UWB pour lesquelles une gamme de nouvelles puces sera lancée sur le marché.

À la base de l'adoption se trouve à nouveau une norme internationale. Plus particulièrement, le Consortium pour la connectivité automobile, qui a normalisé les protocoles UWB à utiliser pour assurer l'interopérabilité entre les clés de voiture de différents constructeurs automobiles. En 2021, la dernière version de la norme, la clé de voiture CCC version 3.0, a été publiée.

2. UWB chip interoperability

IEEE standard

Wireless applications prosper best within the sphere of industry standards. Standards offer the freedom to purchase from a larger pool of suppliers, competitive pricing, a common technology that eases design decisions and inventory requirements, and most importantly, standards allow devices or chips from different vendors to interoperate, creating a truly future-proof solution.

The benefits of communication standards are important for large technology and consumer electronics companies to guarantee the lowest cost and continuity of supply, thereby avoiding the single-source trap. This ‘peace of mind’ aspect is the main blessing of standards that makes large companies big supporters. Furthermore, a standard is usually based on a collective experience and cooperation which increases reliability and long-term availability. A good standard also creates an ecosystem of multiple vendors (competing on quality and price), all helping to further bolster UWB adoption and future-proofing.

IEEE 802.15.4 standard versions have impacted UWB

IEEE has recognized the need to standardize UWB technology for use in personal area networks (PANs). It has established the IEEE 802.15.4a, released in 2007, the first standard to include UWB and to define both the MAC (link layer) and PHY (physical layer) within the OSI model (which defines the 7 layers of network architecture). These additions introduced new features that the previous 802.15.4 standard was lacking to be able to support UWB: higher data throughput and precise ranging. The next standard versions IEEE 802.15.4-2011 and IEEE802.15.4-2015 were released to enable backward compatibility and introduce both the LRP & HRP (low rate pulse & high rate pulse) UWB PHY. This version is still used in many of the commercially available UWB devices today.

In August 2020, the IEEE 802.15.4z was released with a focus on enhanced ranging capabilities, high increase of security, and enhanced power consumption, indeed all characteristics needed to further enhance and optimize UWB solutions. The next expected release is planned for 2025 with version IEEE 802.15.4ab. It will support new rule sets to expand use cases, new smartphone features such as streaming audio, increased security through smaller packages, and significantly lower power.

As a conclusion, the IEEE standard not only crafts stability and interoperability, it also propels the UWB feature set that translates into benefits from which the UWB devices and their applications can prosper.

3. Ultra wide band regulations

The clear definitions from the IEE802.15.4 standard specify three frequency bands, yielding 16 radio channels in total. Regulation has followed and every country’s regional regulatory authorities define which of these bands can or cannot be used geographically, resulting in well-defined UWB regulations. The new generation of UWB chipsets allows new regions, such as Japan, to be covered with the same technology. For the consumer applications, UWB channels 5 (at 6GHz) and 9 (at 8GHz) have been selected by FiRa as the main UWB channels to be used as they allow global usage.

UWB RTLS applications still tend to use the lower frequency channels as they provide the highest possible range with UWB technology, which directly impacts the amount of infrastructure needed for an RTLS installation. However, future systems will likely also adopt UWB channel 9 to be used in certain geographies such as Japan and China. Furthermore, UWB channel 5 is increasingly being challenged ever since WiFi was allowed to utilize the same frequency band resulting in interference with any UWB system. Currently WiFi at 6GHz (introduced in Wifi 6E) is still limited in its adoption, but it is expected to grow in the coming years.

Recent changes to UWB regulation

In 2024, the European Union updated UWB regulations to enhance the technology’s adoption and performance. Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/1467, adopted on May 27, amended previous rules to harmonize spectrum use across the Union. Key changes included increasing indoor UWB transmission power by 10 dB, from -41.3 dBm/Hz to -31.3 dBm/Hz, extending operational range. The update also permitted certain outdoor applications, such as location tracking and vehicular use, benefiting real-time location systems (RTLS) in industries needing extended range and outdoor functionality. This change is a major step forward for UWB in EU and similar discussions are ongoing for US, although no clear decision has been made yet.

China also has introduced significant changes to its UWB regulations. On April 29, 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the "Interim Provisions on the Radio Management of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Radio Transmission Equipment" (MIIT No. 77 [2024]), set to take effect on August 1, 2025, replacing the 2008 guidelines. The new rules define UWB equipment as having a transmission bandwidth of at least 500 MHz, operating within 7163-8812 MHz, effectively banning lower frequency channels and pushing most systems to use UWB channel 9.

Upcoming changes to UWB regulation

As stated, discussions are ongoing to also modernize the UWB regulation in US. Additionally, 2027 will be a pivotal year for UWB with the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC). Since decisions made at WRC affect wireless communications worldwide, the conference is a critical event for shaping future spectrum policies, impacting technologies like 5G, satellite broadband, and ultra-wideband (UWB) applications. 5G's consideration to utilize high-band spectrum will be discussed and are of particular interest to UWB, as they could directly impact the upper UWB channels.

Instances like the UWB Alliance help to support UWB adoption by actively voicing the concerns and recommendations of all UWB stakeholders towards the regulators of various countries.

4. UWB chip ecosystem

With the standardization maturing to guarantee future-proof solutions, it was Decawave (currently Qorvo) to release the first commercial UWB radio chip in 2013 to support the IEEE 802.15.4 - 2015 version, which is still heavily used in RTLS and IOT applications.

The most recent IEEE 802.15.4z, optimized for consumer applications and released at the end of 2020 is supported today by various semiconductor vendors: Qorvo, NXP, Apple, producing its own U1 and U2 UWB chips (the “U” stands for UWB), ST Micro, Qualcomm and imec have all invested heavily in the development of UWB chips. In 2024, various Chinese semiconductor vendors released UWB chips as well resulting in a broad selection of UWB chip providers.

In 2024, close to 450 million UWB chips were shipped, an increase of 21% year over year, as estimated by TechnoSystemsResearch. Other than the expansion in smartphone, consumer tags, and automotive digital key caused market growth during 2024.

UWB is on the verge of becoming the next essential component technology, like GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth before it. Already shipping in millions of smartphones and cars, and across more than 40 other verticals, UWB is enabling accurate indoor location services, secure communications, context-aware user interfaces and advanced analytics, making it ideally suited to Industry 4.0 applications.
Eric Creviston, President of Qorvo

It is clear that the landscape of UWB chips available for commercial use is rapidly expanding. Each of the vendors has developed radio chips to support specific IEEE 802.15.4 standard versions and the different standard alliances (applications) that operate in different communication channels. The succeeding chipset product development cycles result in lower power consumption, smaller form-factor, and support for a broader range of features.

Technologies will never become globally successful when based on an exclusive offering. The industry adoption is fueled by the variety of semiconductor offerings to choose from to allow competition (on specs and features) to avoid the much-loathed vendor lock-in and to allow future interoperability between different UWB devices. And obviously, as the production of UWB chips continues to ramp up over time it holds the promise of a lower price.

5. Ultra wide band application standardization

Multiple standards have been defined for UWB communication. Apart from the technical standard IEEE 802.15.4, several standardization bodies, each with their specific focus, business scope and goals, operate to bring standardization to UWB. Technologies only endure when they are backed by a robust, quality-driven infrastructure that enables rapid expansion, providing a favorable regulatory and spectrum management landscape to secure and maximize UWB growth.

FiRa Consortium

The FiRa Consortium, originally focusing on peer-to-peer applications between smartphones and various (consumer) devices. To date, the FiRa Consortium boasts more than 100 members across various categories. Among the initial sponsor members were ASSA ABLOY Group (HID Global), NXP Semiconductors, Samsung Electronics, and Apple.

Early in January 2025, FiRa released its latest specification v3.0, about one year after the previous version 2.0. The new Core v3.0 enhances the efficiency and versatility of its UWB systems which would allow multiple use-cases (such as tracking and keyless entry) to operate more efficiently at the same time. The new release also adds the CCC Digital Key UWB feature for more interoperability with the CCC standard.

In 2024, various new UWB radio chips passed FiRa v2.0 certification including chips from NXP, Qualcomm, GiantSemi, Chipsbank, Maxscend, and NewRadioTech.

Omlox Consortium

Omlox is an open standard for Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS). The Omlox standard is managed by the PI organization, which also managed popular industrial standards such as Profibus, Profinet and IO link. To date, the Omlox standard brings together over 60 partners and members including Qorvo, STMicroelectronics, Amazon AWS, Siemens, and Pozyx. Over 300 professional use-cases have been defined, primarily in Production, Logistics, process industry, healthcare and retail.

The Omlox consortium has developed two standards:

• Omlox Core zone: A standard for UWB location systems defining how tags and infrastructure communicate in order to allow interoperability between RTLS tags and anchors of different vendors.
• Omlox hub: A standardized interface for retrieving location information from a wide variety of localization techniques, such as UWB, RFID,5G, BLE, WiFi, and GPS.

Both standards are currently in version 2.0, which were released in 2023. Early 2025, Omlox will finalize its official certification program for both the core zone and the hub.

Car Connectivity Consortium

The Car Connectivity Consortium, also CCC, is dedicated to bringing automotive and consumer technology industries together to future-proof vehicle access using smart-devices. The consortium has over 300 members companies collaborating to develop global standards and solutions for smart-devices and in-vehicle connectivity while reducing market fragmentation of our technologies. Some notable members are Apple, Google, NXP as well as a large amount of major car manufacturers.

The CCC utilizes a variety of technologies such as BLE, UWB and NFC in order to provide reliable solutions. The latest Car Key version 3 v1.1 was released in 2022. Since then, several plug-fests have been organized to bring together different car and smartphone manufacturers to test and demonstrate the use and interoperability of the UWB-driven keys. In December 2023 the CCC launched its certification program which NXP and BMW the first to achieve the certification in 2024.

The future will tell which of these standards will win the market but for now, it seems that their focus is clearly defined in different application spaces and different feature sets in order not to compete. To date, the FiRa consortium has picked up the most speed as it drives the biggest volume of UWB chip sales. The Omlox standard is yet to prove itself as the initial version was limited as a proof-of-concept. With Omlox version 2.0, we will finally see Omlox certified products hitting the market in the next years.

Given that the different standards cater to different use-cases, it may be that they will forever exist next to each other. As we are seeing, these standards are coming closer to each other in order to guarantee coexistence of the different standards or potential combined use-cases. An example of this is the inclusion of the CCC Digital Key into the latest FiRa standard. Similarly, a liaison between FiRa and Omlox was initiated in 2023 and has resulting in the creation of a joint working group in 2024.

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6. Recent advancements on UWB and outlook for 2024

The year 2024 has been an important year for UWB which saw many new UWB chipsets becoming available, updated regulations in EU and China, and an update to the FiRa standard, which drives the most significant volume of UWB chips. Market research reports indicate that UWB chip sales increased to 450 to 500 million units. It is expected that 2025 will again show meaningful growth with new products coming to market, taking advantage of the new chipsets.

For 2025 we don’t expect major changes regarding regulations as this will likely happen in 2027 after the World Radiocommunications Conference. Recent changes in the European regulation can potentially increase the viability of UWB RTLS applications as range can be increased and outdoor usage will now become permitted.

In the longer term we can see increased attention to UWB radar which would allow presence and health detection of people without requiring them to carry any electronics. This has some applications in automotive for child presence detection, but also in smart home devices. Furthermore, with the upcoming new IEEE 802.15.4ab in 2025, we will see new generation of UWB chips hit the market with further reduced power consumption, increased security and novel support for streaming audio. Regarding application standards, we may see increased collaboration in between the different standards given that they are to a large extent very complimentary. Whether or not that will succeed, only time will tell.

By 2025-2026, we expect UWB to transition from a specialized technology to a core connectivity standard, much like WiFi and Bluetooth today. With major regulatory improvements, expanding ecosystems, and widespread industry adoption, UWB is set to reshape location-based services, automation, and security.

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