SK Telecom + UWB = Kiosk Downloads?

SK Telecom + UWB = Kiosk Downloads?

http://www.dailywireless.org/2006/12/15/sk-telecom-uwb-kiosk-downloads/

Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip maker Staccato Communications and SK Telecom, the largest mobile phone and broadband operator in Korea, today unveiled plans for the global delivery of fast, short-range UWB connectivity for cell phones.

 The adoption of UWB by one of the largest and most innovative mobile carriers will provide increased choices for content delivery from access points, connecting mobile phones to larger displays (PC, TV, Auto), connecting mobile phones to the PC ecosystem, and sharing profiles and content from one user to another through personal area social networking (PASN) says SK Telecom.

Services developed and launched by SK Telecom and Staccato will be standardized and offered worldwide to other operators after initial launch in Korea. Customers will have expanded options and bandwidth for entertainment content delivery to their mobile devices, communicating directly with other mobile users or from kiosks at 480Mbps.

Products will initially launch with WiMedia radios using spectrum below 6GHz (band group 1, band 3) and add above-6GHz operation when the WiMedia Alliance completes the certification process for these bands.

Wireless USB is based on WiMedia’s Ultra-Wideband standard, enabling PCs, peripherals, consumer electronics and mobile devices to connect using a common interface at up to 480 Mbps at 3 meters.

Focus Enhancements claims it’s the first company with WiMedia-based ultrawideband (UWB) to get approval from the FCC without strings attached. It uses both WiMedia’s MB-OFDM (Multiband) and DS-OFDM radios to use spectrum from 3.1-10.6GHz in the US.

Focus makes the Talaria UWB technology with restrictions in the UK (between 6-10GHz); and in Japan between 7-10GHz.

The FCC has approved UWB chipsets in recent weeks, even though it initially approved the concept of the technology back in 2002. The regulatory body approved chipsets and related products from WiQuest that can transfer data at speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s over several feet.

It should open the way for a first wave of “cable replacement”-type products, such as USB dongles and hubs, to arrive on the market, says Unstrung.