Despite the initial negative impact of COVID-19 on the mobile market, smartphone sales and increased demand for wearable devices, tablets and laptops have contributed to a sustainable market recovery. The rise in sales and demand has been fueled by consumers indefinitely changing their work, learning and entertainment habits, creating a need for improved smart devices and enhanced connectivity. While 5G is gaining more attention, the spread of ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is also on the rise. Although the UWB ecosystem is in its early stages of development, it has the potential to quickly become the mainstream short-range wireless technology in many applications, including smartphones, wearables, tablets, mobile accessories and other consumer electronics. This opinion is shared by experts from the analytical company ABI Research, predicting that shipments of devices with UWB support in 2026 will exceed 1.3 billion pieces. For comparison: in 2020, 143 million of them were produced.
According to analysts, UWB benefits from providing a wide range of location-based capabilities that other wireless technologies cannot effectively support. At the same time, it can be used together with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), NFC and Wi-Fi.
One of the first to introduce UWB support into its devices was Apple, which added it to the iPhone 11 and Watch 6. Now UWB support is available in Samsung, Xiaomi and Honor products. Many other manufacturers are expected to follow.
As UWB becomes the mainstream technology for most mobile devices, it is expected. that its use will also grow in other sectors, in particular in smart home devices and in the automotive industry.
Analysts acknowledge that there are problems as well, in particular the relatively large antenna size, which is difficult to integrate into small devices such as tags, wearables and sensors. In addition, the higher cost of components and infrastructure is a constraint compared to alternative short-range technologies.
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