News

ITI Techmedia to Pioneer Communications Technology to Reduce Cables in the Home (1/6/2005)

£6.7 million to be invested in research and development into ultra-wideband wireless technology

ITI Techmedia, the organisation which develops market-driven intellectual property for the benefit of the Scottish economy, is today announcing a new R&D programme. The programme, the third in the ITI Techmedia portfolio, will focus on ultra-wideband technology.

Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a radio technology which allows the transfer of large amounts of data over short distances and is resistant to interference from other communication signals. The technology will be capable of supporting a wide range of media-rich applications between PCs and other consumer electronic devices. It has the potential to free devices - such as DVD players, audio speakers, high definition television sets, PCs and printers - from the need to be connected by wires to record, play or exchange data.

Initial analysis undertaken by ITI Techmedia indicates that ultra-wideband communications will be a source of major market opportunity in the next 3 to 10 years. It is estimated that the global UWB market for consumer and computing applications could exceed $1.2bn by 2010.

ITI Techmedia, working with its R&D partners, will develop an end-to-end system aligned to the emerging UWB technology standard in the programme, which is expected to last around 24 months. A complete ultra-wideband system comprises a number of elements and ITI Techmedia will consider technology opportunities in hardware, software and mesh networking.

Reflecting the breadth of research and development required to develop the technology, the ITI will engage the services of a number of R&D providers over the lifetime of the programme. TES Electronic Solutions, Elonics and Cambridge Consultants are the key organisations providing research input into the programme in its early stages. Further research providers are being identified and will be involved in the programme in due course.

TES Electronic Solutions, located in Edinburgh, is a wireless systems design company which provides design capabilities across a range of wireless communications technologies, including GSM/GPRS, Bluetooth, DECT, WDCT, WiFI and Zigbee. Elonics is a Livingston-based semiconductor design company specialising in the physical layers of communications systems, with an emphasis on high frequency and low power mixed-signal applications. Cambridge Consultants, a world leader in technology and product innovation, has significant expertise in wireless products and systems design and a track record in creating world-firsts across a range of wireless platforms and standards ranging from aerospace to healthcare and Bluetooth to Zigbee. Cambridge Consultants brings over 20 years' experience of working in UWB.

David Creed, CEO of ITI Techmedia commented, "UWB is the radio technology which is expected to revolutionise short-range communications in the home and office. Our focus - developing an end-to-end system enabling wireless interconnection and networking of PC and consumer devices - will deliver innovative IP which will enable a range of exciting applications and services. We are very pleased at the high calibre of the R&D providers who are working on this programme, and we believe the R&D investment in the programme holds considerable potential to deliver benefit to Scotland."

Welcoming the announcement, Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace said, "Wireless technology solutions will transform many aspects of our future work and social lives. In this R&D programme, ITI Techmedia is commissioning and funding leading-edge developments in a highly pervasive global market. If this programme delivers on the potential it holds, the benefit to Scotland and Scottish companies will be huge. This partnership showcases the calibre of companies already active on our doorstep. Collaborations such as this help to improve each of their individual prospects and help achieve our aim of a smart successful Scotland."

www.ititechmedia.com