In recent years, many companies have been fueling the UWB market:

In 2019, the Apple iPhone 11 was equipped with a UWB chip, and the "Spatial Awareness" feature brought by the once extremely popular AirDrop wireless transmission took the lead in driving the commercial use of UWB in the consumer electronics field.

In March 2022, a recruitment information for UWB technology engineers from HiSilicon also attracted attention in the industry, and was considered a signal that Huawei HiSilicon was entering the UWB technology field.

BMW and NIO announced the deployment of UWB chips in their vehicles, followed by Volkswagen, Ford, XPeng, BYD, and other models.

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In addition, Xiaomi's "One-finger Connection" and Huawei's "Lingxi Pointing Remote Control" have successively entered the smart home field. Whether the market is willing to pay for this high-cost but non-essential feature is still very uncertain.

A series of industry dynamics seem to announce that UWB applications can be ubiquitous. UWB technology has great opportunities in the automotive, smart wearable, and industrial markets.

However, judging from a series of subsequent market reactions, lukewarm may be the most appropriate description for the UWB industry.

The market size of UWB is not on the same order of magnitude as WiFi, Bluetooth, and RFID; there is also a significant gap in market size compared to niche wireless communication technologies such as Lora and Zigbee. The reason is that UWB lacks successful and certain quantities of landing application scenarios.

The long-dormant UWB still needs to wait for an opportunity to achieve a new redemption.

UWB chip, ushering in a new turning point.Recently, the temporarily calm UWB market has been hit with a major announcement—At the 2024 Mobile World Congress (MWC), Qualcomm released a plethora of new products in one go. Among them, the UWB chip has also made new progress.

It is understood that Qualcomm has released a chip model named FastConnect 7900, which uses a 6nm process technology and is an integrated chip set that combines "Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth + UWB" various local area network communication technologies.

It is worth noting that this chip can form a new generation of high-end mobile chipsets with Qualcomm's latest 5G chip "Snapdragon X80", and can be used together in mobile phones, PCs, vehicles, IoT, and other customers.

This may become a key link to promote the development of the UWB industry.

Because the launch of the "Snapdragon X80" + "FastConnect 7900" chip combination means that the time for Qualcomm's UWB to enter the mobile phone is very close. It is reported that commercial terminals equipped with this platform are expected to be released in the second half of 2024, and at that time, domestic Android mobile phone manufacturers will be equipped with UWB functions simultaneously. Once there is a large-scale use of UWB chips by Android mobile phone manufacturers, other mobile phone manufacturers will also follow suit quickly.

At that time, UWB may usher in a new situation of market demand.

Taking this opportunity, let's take a look at the technical features and advantages of UWB, as well as the current application progress and corporate layout, to have a deeper understanding of the development status, challenges, and future trends of UWB technology.

UWB, from military to commercial use

UWB, full name Ultra Wide Band, is an ultra-wideband wireless carrier communication technology.

UWB is different from traditional communication technologies, it achieves wireless transmission by sending and receiving extremely narrow pulses with nanosecond or microsecond levels. Due to the extremely short pulse width, it can achieve an ultra-wideband on the spectrum, from 3.1GHz - 10.6GHz, with a total of 7.5GHz available spectrum bandwidth, and the used radio frequency bandwidth is more than 500MHz.Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and Other Wireless Data Transmission Technology Frequency Distribution Diagram

The wideband characteristic of this impulse signal enables UWB chips to transmit more data at relatively lower power. Compared to common positioning technologies such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), WiFi, and Bluetooth, UWB technology has advantages such as high positioning accuracy, strong anti-interference capability, good security, fast transmission speed, and low power consumption, especially suitable for high-speed wireless access in indoor and other dense multipath environments.

In fact, UWB is not a new technology; it was proposed around 1960 and was mainly used in military radar systems as an auxiliary system with not a large amount of usage.

It was not until February 2002 that UWB was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States and began to be applied in civilian and commercial communication fields. In March 2007, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) officially passed the MB-OFDM standard submitted by the WiMedia Alliance, marking the birth of the first international standard for UWB technology and the transition to large-scale commercial use.

Starting in 2013, UWB gradually found applications in various vertical fields such as public security systems, warehousing, logistics, hospitals, factories, coal mines, construction sites, exhibition halls, shopping malls, tunnels, machine rooms, airports, sports, and more.

UWB further became known to the public in 2019 when Apple equipped the iPhone 11 series with this technology, which also led to an increasing number of devices adopting UWB.

During this period, some companies began to launch UWB chips for high-speed short-range wireless communication and high-precision positioning and orientation.

Initially, UWB was positioned as a data transmission technology similar to Wi-Fi, but due to various reasons, including power limitations, it has not been successful in commercial applications.

When the technology was repositioned, mainly towards the development of secure ranging and positioning technology based on impulse radio and the IEEE 802.15.4a standard, it endowed UWB with the capabilities of security, reliability, and centimeter-precision distance and position measurement.A simple understanding is that UWB (Ultra-Wideband) is not inherently designed for data communication; its strengths lie in ranging and positioning.

The main appeal of UWB lies in its extremely high accuracy in positioning and direction, capable of precisely locating the position of objects with an error margin of only a few centimeters, which is significantly higher than Bluetooth, GPS, and other tracking methods.

Thanks to its prominent advantages, UWB has quickly been implemented in the aforementioned B2B (business-to-business) market and is gradually becoming commercially viable.

As the technology matures, UWB technology begins to explore application scenarios beyond the B2B market, leveraging its significant application potential in the consumer market. Various terminal devices start to integrate UWB communication capabilities, such as laptops, mobile phones, and smart cars, among other consumer electronic products.

UWB, Seeking a Foothold

So, what benefits can UWB actually bring to users?

The introduction of the advantages of UWB technology mentioned above may not be very intuitive. By taking application scenarios as examples, we can more clearly understand the functionality and value of UWB in practical applications. For instance:

Apple has utilized the ultra-high precision positioning capability of UWB technology to enhance the positioning accuracy of mobile phones, enabling them to sense the exact location of surrounding phones. Apple has named this spatial awareness capability. Through the Airdrop feature, a wireless connection can be quickly established to prepare for data transmission for users.

In addition, Apple has also applied UWB to AirTag. Due to its support for centimeter-level positioning accuracy, it can also achieve three-dimensional position tracking. Moreover, it is not only fast but also has lower power consumption. Therefore, AirTag can enable all devices to have anti-lost capabilities, and the process of users finding them is more convenient. In addition to AirTag, after products such as Apple Watch and HomePod are equipped with UWB, they can also achieve precise positioning through precise positioning.

Apple is one of the few manufacturers that have applied UWB on a large scale in their devices.Samsung is also actively introducing the application of UWB in its products. Starting with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold2, this technology has been incorporated. For example, in the "Point to Share" feature, UWB can also establish a wireless connection through rapid positioning to achieve data transmission. At the same time, Samsung has also launched the SmartTag+ smart tracker. In addition to terminal products, Samsung has also passed the Exynos Connect U100 chip that supports UWB, directly targeting the smart home, smart factory, and smart car fields.

In the field of smart homes, Xiaomi has launched the "One-Click Connection" function with UWB technology, as well as the derived "One-Click Control" and "One-Click Projection" functions. With the precise positioning and rapid connection characteristics of UWB, the spatial positioning of the "One-Click Connection" function has achieved centimeter-level and ±3° angle measurement accuracy. Pointing can achieve directional control, and it can also easily complete operations such as screen projection. Under the Mijia ecosystem, the application of UWB has also brought more convenience to users.

Last year, Huawei released the first air touch TV, innovatively equipped with the world's first Huawei Lingxi pointing remote interaction method, achieving the control experience of sliding, dragging, and selecting on the large screen TV that only mobile phones have. This absolute pointing remote technology, through UWB technology, has achieved the "point and get" effect of air touch. Huawei stated that the launch of this new TV interaction method will usher in a new era of "giant screen mobile phones" for the TV industry.

From consumer electronics to smart cars, is UWB's "second landing point"?

The consumer market is becoming the stepping stone for UWB technology, allowing consumers to see the wonders of UWB. UWB, which is still looking for a way out in the consumer market, now shows signs of taking off first in the automotive market.

In 2019, the Car Connectivity Consortium listed UWB as the next generation of vehicle security access technology, promoting the large-scale availability of mobile devices. Subsequently, many car brands began to introduce UWB car digital keys.

Although there are already various forms of keyless entry technology, the adoption of UWB will enable vehicles to measure the exact location of the remote control key in real-time within a few centimeters, greatly improving the security of the vehicle compared to other wireless standards. In the future, you can unlock the vehicle with a UWB-supported device (such as a smartphone) or a wearable device using its digital key platform, without having to carry a separate remote control key. At the same time, it can also support high-precision car finding.

Some industry insiders have said, "The most widely used and promising scenario for UWB is the car digital key." With the promotion of mass-produced models from major manufacturers such as NIO, Great Wall, Land Rover, and BMW, 2022 has even been called the "first year of mass production of UWB digital keys."

In 2023, the industry has seen several symbolic events. Whether it is Apple's "One Throw to Change the World," the entry of the cellular module leader Quectel, or the new product launches of ChiXin Semiconductor and NuRuiXin, it reveals that UWB may make a big move in the application of car digital keys.However, UWB (Ultra-Wideband) technology in vehicles is not limited to just smart key applications. UWB radar can also assist in perceiving the surrounding environment. Due to the high precision of UWB, in-cabin monitoring is undoubtedly one of the first segments to benefit from regulatory requirements. It can be applied to detect the presence of living beings inside the vehicle by sensing human biological respiration. For instance, the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is the first global regional regulation to include child protection in its assessment system. It prevents safety hazards that may occur if adults accidentally close the door while a child is still inside the vehicle. UWB technology can detect the presence of living beings after the door is closed, alerting the vehicle owner or even preventing them from closing the door. Additionally, the radar function of UWB can also enable hands-free trunk opening.

These applications will promote the application and promotion of UWB in the automotive market. Consequently, car users will need to interact with the UWB chips in their smartphones and vehicles, which will in turn drive the large-scale application of smartphone UWB chips and promote the use of UWB technology in other consumer electronics.

In recent years, with the joint efforts of major manufacturers such as Apple, Xiaomi, Samsung, and automotive manufacturers, UWB has gradually moved from a niche technology mainly aimed at industry applications to a popular technology embraced by the consumer market. It has also become one of the key areas of focus for the capital market.

Currently, UWB technology is mainly applied in the fields of smartphones, automobiles, smart homes, wearable devices, and consumer electronic tags. Among them, the large shipment volume of mid-to-high-end smartphones can continue to lead the growth of shipments of various UWB devices, such as smartwatches, smart wearables, and smart homes.

It is worth noting that there are two approaches to adding UWB chips to smartphones: one is to add a dedicated "U1" chip, as Apple is currently doing. The function of this chip is not limited to positioning and distance measurement; it has other functions, which will further enrich the capabilities of smartphones. The second approach is to integrate UWB functions into the main control chip of the smartphone, just like 4G, 5G, WiFi, and Bluetooth are now integrated into a single chip.

For the first solution, emerging chip manufacturers still have opportunities, while the second solution is likely to be directly absorbed by mobile chip companies such as Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Huawei.

According to the latest report from Techno Systems Research, the global shipment of UWB is expected to exceed 1.2 billion units in 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of over 30%. Driven by the dual engines of "smartphone ecosystem + automotive ecosystem," UWB will have a broad blue ocean market in the future. In terms of application fields, by 2027, smartphones will still be the largest application market, followed by smart cars, smart homes, wearable devices, and electronic tags.

Current Status and Challenges of the UWB Chip IndustryIn the global market, the main players in the UWB chip industry include Apple, NXP Semiconductors, and Qorvo, among others. Specifically, Qorvo entered the UWB chip sector by acquiring Decawave for $400 million in 2020 and currently dominates the B2B UWB market for positioning needs in factories, coal mines, and semiconductor companies, with its main products being the DW series. In the smartphone sector, the supply of UWB is primarily supported by NXP Semiconductors and Qorvo, while Apple develops and uses its own technology. In the automotive-grade UWB chip sector, NXP Semiconductors stands alone with its main product being the Trimension series.

Furthermore, traditional automotive giants such as STMicroelectronics, Infineon, and Renesas have also increased their UWB layout and have made certain progress in recent years.

In the Chinese market, although the UWB chip design field started relatively late, it is accelerating its rise due to its good market and industrial chain advantages.

The main domestic market participants in UWB chips include companies like Haowen Technology, Huanxu Electronics, Lianrui Electronics, Tangen Technology, Jingwei Technology, NewRic, Koraisite, YiBaiDe, Hanwei Microelectronics, Youzhi Lian, ChiXin Semiconductor, Jieyang Micro, and QingYan Xunket, with many domestic manufacturers making new progress in the UWB chip field.

Overall, whether domestically or internationally, UWB technology is continuously developing and improving, but there are still some gaps in domestic core technology and the upper reaches of the industrial chain. With the further maturation of technology and the growth of market demand, it is expected that UWB technology will be more widely applied and promoted in the future.

Cost Challenge

UWB technology can also be seen in some applications in the market, but why hasn't UWB become as popular as imagined?

In essence, most current applications are trivial and belong to the category of experience improvement applications, and some improvements are even more like a "redundant chicken bone," not solving unprecedented problems.

On the other hand, the practical cost of UWB is still relatively high, and further efforts are needed in the downward compatibility of mid-to-high-end products.Regarding this, some industry insiders have pointed out that the main reason for the high price of UWB (Ultra-Wideband) at present is still that the industry chain has not yet been established. With the continuous evolution of semiconductor process technology and the continuous rise of domestic UWB manufacturers, the shipment of UWB will continue to increase, and the rapid growth in shipments will greatly drive down costs, thereby promoting the popularization of UWB in mid-to-low-end devices.

The slow standardization process of UWB is another reason. After all, the establishment of every new technology ecosystem requires a process. The industry standards for UWB are still relatively "loose" at present. The application of this technology spans different levels of scenarios such as consumer, industrial, and automotive, and the standards for each level of scenario are also in urgent need of further clarification.

Therefore, establishing a relatively unified standard is an insurmountable obstacle.

There are two international standardization organizations for UWB: one is the UWB Alliance, and the other is the FiRa Alliance.

The target market for the UWB Alliance is the B-side RTLS market, which is the regional/indoor positioning market: by perceiving the real-time location of people, vehicles, and objects indoors, it achieves the purpose of management automation. The RTLS market uses TDOA/TOF triangulation positioning as the positioning algorithm technology route. Each company's product has different communication protocols at the UWB link layer and RTLS positioning algorithms, so there is no possibility of product compatibility between manufacturers.

The members of the FiRa Alliance include well-known manufacturers such as Apple, Sony, Samsung, Qualcomm, Xiaomi, and OPPO, and are committed to developing UWB application scenarios based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard across vertical business fields. The goal is to formulate interoperability standards for the UWB indoor positioning industry, aiming to break the limitations of different standards and formats, and promote the formation of a global unified standard.

However, overall, UWB is a case of much talk but little action, coupled with the fact that terminal manufacturers have not been as good as before in recent years. In terms of integrating UWB technology, the enthusiasm is not high compared to WiFi, BLE, and 5G. Large factories mostly adopt a wait-and-see attitude, most are cultivating and seeking the market, and do not make significant strategic investment strategies.

UWB, Trend InterpretationBased on the current state of UWB industry development, application progress, and technical challenges, IoT media has observed several major trends in the development of UWB, and the author has summarized them concisely as follows:

1. Domestic UWB chip players are on the rise: Domestic UWB chip players began to layout after 2019, and currently, several domestic chip players with faster progress have achieved mass production of chips. It is expected that more products will achieve mass production within one or two years. The rise of domestic chip players is bound to inject more vitality into the market. Many application scenarios or products require customized functions at certain levels and have extremely low cost requirements, which will be opportunities for domestic UWB chip players.

2. Android smartphones will rapidly popularize UWB chips: iPhones have long been popular with UWB chips. Previously, there were occasional reports about Android smartphones using UWB chips, but progress was slow. However, with Qualcomm's launch of a 5G set that integrates UWB functions, selling a multi-in-one chip directly to smartphone manufacturers, this is the best solution for manufacturers and will directly promote the popularization of UWB in Android smartphone manufacturers.

3. Low cost is an industry necessity: Both B-side and C-side enterprises unanimously feedback that the current UWB products are too expensive and need to be reduced in price. This is actually a demand transmission, and a common perception of the demand side is: UWB technology is good, but the products are too expensive. Based on such a demand situation, the most effective response strategy for the upstream industry, whether it is chip manufacturers or product and solution providers, is to "lower the price." At least for the time being, this is not a malicious price war, but an action to meet industry needs.

4. Industry division of labor begins to be clear: A few years ago, the status of the UWB industry was that there were very few chip companies, and then there were many solution providers, and the products and business areas of each solution provider were highly overlapping. However, at present, the trend of industrial division of labor is gradually emerging. Some companies are gradually focusing on making modules or standard hardware products, some companies are gradually only doing positioning software, and some companies are gradually focusing on the overall solutions of vertical industries. This is a good signal for the industry's development and growth.

5. UWB manufacturers focus on vertical industries: A few years ago, almost all solution providers would do projects in any industry, but now, most domestic UWB solution providers are consciously doing subtraction, focusing on several vertical industries, understanding the business logic and needs of the industry or users, and creating integrated information solutions.

6. The number of UWB multi-mode integrated products is gradually increasing: Whether it is B-side products or C-side products, if positioning is involved, it will involve indoor and outdoor integration or integration with other technologies. For example, B-side products, UWB often needs to be integrated with products such as Bluetooth, GNSS, and even LoRa, WiFi, and other transmission technologies. Based on such needs, in the future, there will also be multi-mode or packaged products gradually emerging at the chip upstream.

In summary, UWB ultra-wideband is a technology with great potential.

Some industry insiders have said that in the future, UWB will become a wireless technology with a popularity and scale similar to Bluetooth and WiFi. It is for this reason that industry manufacturers continue to delve into the UWB field and provide support from the bottom of the chip technology in multiple application scenarios.

However, UWB is still in the initial stage and is facing fierce competition from technologies such as Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi. Although UWB has advantages in many aspects such as security, high bandwidth, and two-way communication, which makes it well-received in many applications, however, due to the low usage in the industry, its product prices are high, and market promotion is still difficult.At the same time, the threshold for UWB technology is also very high. From research and development to implementation, it must not only comply with regulatory requirements and consistency requirements, but also smoothly pass the FiRa PHY certification tests as well as ToF and AoA measurements. It can be said that the characteristics and deployment of UWB technology will indeed bring great challenges to testing.

Although the development of UWB is facing many challenges at present, with the promotion of the consumer electronics market, especially the launch of Qualcomm's UWB integrated chips and their accelerated entry into the automotive market, it undoubtedly provides new momentum for the development of the UWB market.

We have reason to believe that UWB technology will achieve greater breakthroughs in the next few years. However, it is not intended to replace Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or NFC, but to intelligently complement them.

In conclusion, UWB is not yet a hot cake, nor is it a life-saving straw. It requires active exploration and joint participation of enterprises in the upstream and downstream of the industry chain, focusing on solving problems in terms of power consumption, cost, and standardization, and opening a new chapter for UWB chip products.