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Dear WiMedia Members,
The WiMedia Alliance has made steady progress during 2008. New specifications were released in September (Spectrum Extensions Release) which will help expedite UWB adoption on a worldwide basis. Subsequently, the first chipsets were certified which met this specification in October. I would like to describe WiMedia’s contribution to the market evolution this past year that may have slipped beneath your radar.
Global Regulations
The Alliance has continued to work with Regulatory agencies worldwide and we anticipate approval in China by the end of this year, which will join the US, EU, Japan, Korea as geographies where WiMedia UWB is approved. Other regions, such as Canada, are slated to follow in 2009.
Product Momentum
In 2008, we have seen momentum building in terms of end products coming to market. Early implementations such as Wireless USB host adapters and hubs have been joined by native Wireless USB implementations (with corresponding performance improvements) in laptops and peripherals such as wireless docking stations and mass storage. We are also seeing adoption in the CE sector including digital still cameras, camcorders and wireless TV/monitors. Our partner SIG, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) reports over 100 end product certifications to date and a steady stream of products awaiting certification.
Bluetooth Activity
We have also been active within another partner SIG, Bluetooth. Our members have demonstrated interoperability of independent implementations of chipsets running the Bluetooth protocol in the high bands (6GHz). This delivers on our promise to demonstrate successful support for the Bluetooth community.
The future
Allow me to take a moment to establish a common expectation of the future. We anticipate that unit volume will continue to increase as chip prices come down. Initially, chips entered the market in the $15 price range. Today, that value is about $8. We anticipate that the market activation price for broad adoption is somewhere in the $5 range. Obviously, some customers will be more or less sensitive depending upon their urgency and price tolerance.
The very severe worldwide economic conditions will likely take their toll on additional providers. A number of our manufacturers have already transitioned to upper band capability and to single chip solutions. The task is clearly achievable, but those startup companies failing to make these transitions will find financing increasingly difficult to obtain. In this regard, further consolidation is likely. With the relatively large volume of manufacturers working on these designs, this situation is survivable for the industry. Again, this situation mirrors the history of Bluetooth where a number of manufacturers began the race, consolidated down to a very small number and then increased again when unit shipments began to expand.
WiMedia will continue its efforts to increase the total available market by working with our existing partner SIGs and by recruiting additional partners. There is promising new development being done in the areas of UWB over coax, support for surround sound audio, support for aircraft cabin implementations and in video support.
We believe WiMedia UWB is very well positioned to address these emerging applications and momentum is continuing to build. I'm also happy to say that WiMedia welcomes 48 new members to the organization this year.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Seattle Member Meeting on March 24-26th.
Best Regards,
Stephen Wood
4th quarter WiMedia Events & Tradeshows
8th PHY Certification Event
December 2-5, 2008, Geneva, Agilent Labs, Colorado Springs, CO
WiMedia China Exhibition & Summit
October 28, 2008 - Beijing, China View Presentation
20th Member Meeting
October 21-23, 2008, Seoul, South Korea View Presentation
MARKETING WORKING GROUP (MWG) UPDATE
Seoul Members Meeting
A smaller number of MWGers than usual undertook the trip to Seoul, but those that did had a full agenda to work with. One of the primary objectives for the meeting was to present our marketing plan and budget for 2009.
We were able to review progress made so far in 2008 which included a significant increase in press and analyst coverage. We had a special report on WiMedia published by Electronic Design, and the first of a 2 part feature article on WiMedia has subsequently appeared in Electronic Products. The Incisor magazine special on WiMedia also appeared along with several video interviews, which were filmed at the Frisco members meeting.
Our emphasis going into next year is to build on this momentum and exploit the increasing number of end products featuring WiMedia technology coming to market. We will be working carefully to maximize our return on investment in the current economic climate, which is being reflected by a reduced presence at tradeshows next year. There will be an increase in the number of speaking targets focusing on both technology and industry.
At the same time, more emphasis will be placed on activities that directly contribute to member success with the objective of increased value of membership and continuing to attract new members.
Some of these activities have already begun with the publication of three new white papers, and the first of a series of “QuickFAQs” which are available on the website for download.
In Seoul, we were able to identify a number of UWB applications which will be premiered as a series of “QuickApps” – these are contributed pieces by member companies illustrating key technology application stories. In parallel, we are in the process of refreshing the WiMedia website. The main highlight of the website refresh will showcase the revamped “Resource” tab, and will be renamed “WiMedia Ecosystem.” This will include chipsets, test & measurement, development tools, software and end products which use the UWB technology.
Open House & Exhibition
An Open House was held in conjunction with the Members Meeting. We would like to thank our sponsors and many exhibitors making this event successful: Premiere: Samsung / Platinum: Ellisys, TTA / Diamond: Tektronix / Logo: Agilent, Staccato Communications / Silver Demonstrators: Alereon, Artimi, LeCroy, LitePoint, LucidPort, MCCI, Radiient, ST-NXP Wireless, Taiyo Yuden, Tzero, WiQuest, and Wisair.
Over 90 visitors were able to meet WiMedia key spokespeople and guest industry speakers to discuss the current and future UWB landscape, worldwide regulatory status and how to address the need to meet consumer demand for UWB products. The Exhibition was an opportunity to see exhibitors demonstrate their latest innovative UWB solutions for consumer WPAN products. Connected with the Demo Exhibition, our Speaker Program featured industry and technology presentations by:
China Summit
The week after the Seoul Members Meeting, we held our Third Annual WiMedia China Summit in Beijing. We had 150 registered attendees comprising a mix of manufacturing companies, academia, media and regulatory.
The speaking program consisted of nine speakers covering a mix of WiMedia technology updates, China regulatory updates, UWB testing, Wireless USB and streaming applications, and the WALTER project.
Concurrently, we hosted a demo exhibition area which had a constant flow of visitors. We would like to thank member companies Alereon, Ellisys, NEC, Tektronix, TMC and T-Zero for their support.
UWB backers confident despite company closures, 11/6/2008
Challenges mount for ultra-wideband wireless, 11/6/2008
Nearly 700 Million Wireless Video and Audio Connectivity Products to Ship in 2013, 11/6/2008
Will ultra-wideband high-speed wireless technology ever find its market?, 11/5/2008
Incisor - for the short range connectivity environment November'08, 11/5/2008
WiMedia UWB Update, 11/3/2008
Wireless USB: Adding wireless without pain, 11/3/2008
Alereon Announces Acquisition of Wireless USB Driver Technology , 11/3/2008
“Fastest” AWG and software meet the needs of wideband digital RF test, 11/1/2008
Samsung and Alereon Introduce Wireless USB Solutions for Digital Cameras, 10/31/2008
UWB IC targets handset, automotive, and industrial uses, 10/30/2008
TZero Technologies Completes Global Regulatory Certifications for Wireless Video Over Ultra Wideband, 10/27/2008
Radiient featured in: Wi-Hi-Fi, 10/27/2008
Alereon Powers New Toshiba Worldwide Wireless USB Solutions for Home and Office, 10/22/2008
Cadence Helps Staccato Launch Ripcord2(TM) Single-Chip, Ultra-Wideband IC Family, 10/21/2008
Assessing WiMedia UWB, 10/21/2008
Products! Get Your Products Here!, 10/21/2008
UWB Gets Put To The Test, 10/21/2008
Discover WiMedia UWB, 10/21/2008
UWB Applications: Something For Everyone, 10/21/2008
WiMedia-Compatible Chip Set Suits Video Transfer Applications, 10/16/2008
Product Portfolio Covers Wireless USB Needs, 10/16/2008
Wireless USB Enters into Competitive Market, 10/16/2008
Single-Chip Transceiver Targets Wireless USB Apps, 10/16/2008
WG Handles WiMedia Signal Generation , 10/15/2008
HDTV Connections through 4x4 MIMO on a Chip, 10/14/2008
Baseband Signal Generator Enlists for Defense Applications, 10/14/2008
Quest for the WPAN holy grail, 10/14/2008
Signal source designed for UWB, radar test, 10/13/2008
Worldwide Wireless USB Solutions for Digital Cameras, 10/10/2008
New Partnership To Develop Testbeds for UWB Applications, 10/10/2008
USB to Initially Dominate Wireless Home Office, 10/9/2008
Wireless HDMI solution from Gefen, 10/8/2008
WiMedia Alliance Partners with WALTER to advance European UWB Test..., 10/8/2008
Worldwide Wireless USB Chipset with PCI Express Interface, 10/7/2008
How to mitigate packet loss in wireless USB networking applications, 10/7/2008
Samsung Introduces NaBee the Worldwide Wireless USB Solutions for Digital Cameras, 10/2/2008
Groups to collaborate on WiMedia radio testing, 10/1/2008
Supporter:
7 layers AG, ARS Software GmbH, Asia Pacific RFID Technology Association, AWAH System Inc., Azentek, C2T3, CETECOM GmbH, Engineering Club at SFCC, Fujitsu Siemens Computers GmbH, General Dynamics Canada, Golden Ocean International Techno-business Co., Ltd., GWT-TUD GmbH, Highlander Technologies, Inc., I/O Interconnect, Indian Institute of Science, Innovative Logic Inc., Insys Canada, ITC Engineering Services, Inc., Jia Xing University, Kasshku Information Technologies (P) Ltd., Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL), MRL Technology, National Institute of Technology, Rohde & Schwarz System & Communications Asia Pte Ltd., Silicon Technology Co., Ltd., Tanvana Technologies, UniqueLab Inc., University of Kaiserslautern, Vayu Image, Vestel Electronics, Viet Tran, Yokowo Co., Ltd., Zaapa Iberica, Zero Virtual, Zoran Imaging Division
The material in this newsletter is intended for WiMedia Alliance members only, and should be considered confidential per the terms of your member agreement.
Dear WiMedia Members,