Instead of sending its signal over a carrier wave, UWB sends its signals over the "noise sections" of the radio spectrum. Instead of getting drowned in the noise, UWB's brief, sometimes nanosecond, signals actually get tremendous range with little transmission power. What's perhaps the most surprising thing about UWB technology is that it's old enough to be historical--not science--fiction. UWB has been around as a theory since 1968 and as a technology for radar and voice/data radio since the early 90s.

UWB technology is still being implemented, but there have been major strides in its development. For example, with only 50 to 70 milliwatts of power, Time Domain's experimental PulsON chipset-powered systems have reached 40Mbps at ranges of up to 200 feet. By comparison, today's most common wireless LAN technology, 802.11b, can only send 11Mbps using 100milliwatts, and has an effective range of no more than 80 feet.

802.11a should bring 802.11 networking to this speed anyway, but what's more important is that UWB is more secure than any of the 802.11s. That's because UWB transceivers are not only low powered and use what any ordinary radio frequency (RF) device will render as noise, but they can only communicate with each other if they're using the exact same signaling scheme. Because of this, it is much harder for someone to tap into UWB than it is for someone to listen in on 802.11b networking.

So if UWB is so great, why haven't you heard of it before? Because instead of focusing on making the best possible use of a given frequency, UWB technology developers have emphasized using what's usually considered noise over wide swatches of RF. Indeed, there is concern that UWB, even with its very short, low-powered bursts, might actually interfere with more traditional uses of RF. As a result, this has helped keep UWB out of the limelight. In particular, there has been concern that UWB would interfere with the weak-signal global positioning system (GPS). So, instead of already being a major wireless networking technology, UWB has had only limited approval for voice communications, through the wall (the so-called X-Ray radar) capability, and ground penetration radar devices.

The UWB companies hope that the FCC will approve UWB network usage by year's end. Back in May 2000, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) that would allow license-free use of UWB transmitters-the key for UWB wireless LANs. Since then, technology testing by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has shown that while UWB devices can generate noise, they "could not produce enough power to break-lock with the satellite of interest." This means that UWB probably won't interfere with GPS and other low-powered devices.

UWB networking faces many obstacles. One UWB company, MultiSpectral Solutions, claims that UWB, as deployed by other companies, can interfere with GPS. MultiSpectral therefore recommends that unlicensed UWB devices only be allowed that use signals above 3.1GHz. This position puts them in direct opposition to the other UWB firms, such as XtremeSpectrum, which use lower frequencies. This conflict could delay FCC approval, which would mean that UWB networking wouldn't get off the ground.

There is, however, a tremendous push from mainstream technology companies for quick UWB approval. Compaq, IBM (Time Domain's chip supplier), Intel and others are all lobbying the FCC. If the FCC does approve the techology this year, UWB networking devices should be out in trial quantities by the end of the first quarter of 2002 and be in mass production by this time next year. It may be even sooner. Besides the companies already named, others like Æther Wire and PulseLink are also moving forward with UWB technologies.

Once on the market, the UWB devices will sell for about the same as current 802.11b network hubs and NICs. They will not, however, be compatible with the 802.11 technologies in any way.

So what should you do? For now, network administrators can only watch and wait. Everything depends on the FCC rulings. Even a long delay could change the vendor landscape. XtremeSpectrum claims that if the FCC doesn't rule quickly, UWB companies will start going out of business.

But if the FCC does approve it, UWB could transform wireless networking. Though 802.11b clearly has the entire market share now, security concerns should make UWB a contender for wireless network domination. But again, everything depends on a quick FCC approval. If this doesn't happen, 802.11a's emergence in the middle of the next year as a faster, more secure wireless network standard may prevent UWB from ever becoming an important wireless network technology.