Multi-band OFDM UWB solution for IEEE 802.15.3a WPANs

In February of 2002, the FCC liberated the airwaves and laid the regulatory framework for the unlicensed use of approved UWB devices over the 3.1-10.6 GHz bands. By transmitting very low power signals across several gigahertz of the frequency band, government-approved UWB systems will share a broad swathe of spectrum with an array of government-owned, privately licensed and unlicensed incumbent radio systems. UWB wireless personal area network (WPAN) radios can offer 50 to 500 times greater data rates than Bluetooth is currently able to do; thus it is clearly wrestling in a different class. It is envisioned that UWB will replace high-speed cables and audio-video connections in homes and offices or that it will be used for accurate location estimation for low data-rate applications. However, due to its low transmit power (-41.3 dBm/MHz) the application range is limited to maximum of 10-20 m at 100 Mbit/s and 24 m at 480 Mbit/s. In this paper we discuss the physical and MAC layer development of the emerging MB-OFDM UWB technology, which is being supported by several key industry organizations (such as the Multiband OFDM Alliance, WiMedia and Wireless Universal Serial Bus (WUSB)) as an ideal solution for IEEE 802.15.3a WPAN. In addition, we also discuss what this new technology offers for mobile telephone manufacturers and provide some insight into the future mobilecentric WPAN