Skip to main content

Wireless USB Will Find Its Mojo, Eventually

Wireless technologies can have very different adoption cycles. As an example, wireless USB (WUSB) is currently hampered by the high price of the underlying UWB silicon, according to the latest market study by In-Stat.

This is expected to limit its appeal until prices fall substantially, the high-tech market research firm says. Targeted at PCs, PC peripherals, consumer electronics (CE), and mobile phones, the first devices with WUSB technology shipped in 2007, including notebook PCs and hub and dongle solutions.

"The beginnings of a new wireless ecosystem have launched, and should lead to increased shipments in the years ahead," says Brian O'Rourke, In-Stat analyst.

"Ultimately, UWB and WUSB will succeed because they solve problems that no other technology can; the ability to transmit large amounts of data from one device to another with relative power efficiency."

The In-Stat research covers the worldwide market for wireless USB. It tracks the market for WUSB in 22 different applications within four product segments -- PCs, PC peripherals, consumer electronics, and communications.

Annual penetration of WUSB in each of these applications is tracked annually through 2012. An annual WUSB chip solution ASP forecast through 2012 is also provided. Brief profiles of WUSB semiconductor and IP vendors are included.

In-Stat's study found the following:

- Just under 100,000 WUSB devices shipped in 2007, a total that will surpass 190 million in 2012.

- Competition will come from other WiMedia-based standards, as well as technologies such as Wi-Fi.

- Notebook PCs will eventually lead the adoption of WUSB.

Popular posts from this blog

How WLAN Transforms Industrial Automation

The industrial sector is on the eve of a wireless transformation, driven by an urgent demand for greater network capacity, reliability, and deterministic performance. Historically, manufacturers and mission-critical operations have relied on wired networks — favoring their predictability — because spectrum congestion in legacy 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands limited confidence in wireless for operational technology (OT) environments. However, with the introduction and rapid adoption of the 6GHz spectrum, compounded by significant advances in Wi-Fi standards, industrial facilities are now poised to embrace wireless LANs as the backbone for automation and digital innovation. Industrial WLAN Market Development Recent research from ABI Research forecasts that over 70 percent of industrial-grade wireless LAN access points (WLAN APs) shipped in 2030 will support the 6GHz band. This is a leap from 2 percent in 2023, highlighting a rapid and profound technological shift. The market for ruggedized indust...