Intel dumps ultra-wideband development

Intel has dropped its internal development of ultra-wideband (UWB), the company has revealed. The semiconductor firm decided to end the five-year-old project a month ago in a low-key move that is only now coming to light. The call doesn't mark the end of UWB at Intel but was made as the company decided it would be less expensive to source components from outside when necessary than to develop its own.

"It was a typical make-versus-buy decision," says Intel technology strategist Stephen Wood.

However, the move comes as key third-party UWB booster WiQuest was forced to shut down on Friday and reduced Intel's options for third-party equipment.

Intel's shift away from UWB casts doubts on the future of wireless peripheral standards such as Wireless USB, which depend on UWB to provide performance closer to wired USB at distances as far as 30 feet. To date, the short-range standard has had relatively little support in the industry that has chiefly been limited to notebooks from a few manufacturers, such as Dell and Lenovo, as well as Wireless USB adapters and hubs from accessory makers like Belkin.

Filed under: industry, networking
Other story tags: Intel, Dell, Lenovo, Belkin, Wireless USB, WiQuest