UWB as a network access technology in picocells

In the last few decades, the proliferation of fixed and mobile access technologies and networks has provided the network operators with a large choice to offer a variety of services. Different radio technologies complement each other and offer different data rates and coverage for different service requirements. In this context, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) arises as a potential access technology providing very high data rate access in short-range picocells. This paper analyses the possible use of WiMedia UWB as a network access technology. UWB capabilities are assessed and compared to other radio access technologies, i.e. 802.11, in terms of data rate and achievable throughput. WiMedia UWB overhead is studied in order to evaluate the throughput and experimental results with both development kits and commercial devices are also included that confirm theoretical results.