Nokia introduces new radio connectivity technology called Wibree
Nokia shows a new technology called Wibree today. An open industry initiative which will extend local connectivity to small devices. Wibree is optimized for applications requiring extremely low power consumption and small size.
Nokia shows a new technology called Wibree today. An open industry initiative which will extend local connectivity to small devices. Wibree is optimized for applications requiring extremely low power consumption and small size.
This new radio technology complements other local connectivity technologies, consuming only a fraction of the power compared to other such radio technologies. This will enable smaller and less costly implementations and being easy to integrate with Bluetooth. Wibree is an open technology offering connectivity between mobile devices or Personal Computers and small, button cell battery power devices such as watches, wireless keyboards, toys and sports sensors.
It will open connectivity within 0-10 meter range and with a data rate of 1 Mbps. Wibree is implemented either as stand-alone chip or as Bluetooth-Wibree dual-mode chip and will be available during second quarter of 2007.
Check out the Wibree homepage for more information on the new technology:
Official press release:
A unique radio technology extending local connectivity to small devices
Nokia today introduced Wibree technology as an open industry initiative extending local connectivity to small devices. This new radio technology developed by Nokia Research Center complements other local connectivity technologies, consuming only a fraction of the power compared to other such radio technologies, enabling smaller and less costly implementations and being easy to integrate with Bluetooth solutions. Wibree is the first open technology offering connectivity between mobile devices or Personal Computers, and small, button cell battery power devices such as watches, wireless keyboards, toys and sports sensors. By extending the role mobile devices can play in consumers' lives, this technology increases the growth potential in these market segments.
The goal being to have the new technology available to the market as fast as possible, Nokia is defining the Wibree interoperability specification together with a group of leading companies representing semiconductor manufacturers, device vendors and qualification service providers. The technology will be made broadly available to the industry through an open and preferably existing forum enabling wide adoption of the technology. The forum solution is under evaluation and will be defined by the time the specification is finalized. According to the current estimate the first commercial version of the interoperability specification will be available during second quarter of 2007.
The current members of the group defining the specification are: Broadcom Corporation, CSR, Epson and Nordic Semiconductor having licensed the Wibree technology for commercial chip implementation and Suunto and Taiyo Yuden, contributing to the interoperability specification in their respective areas of expertise.
"Wibree technology is an important development that opens up new market opportunities and a whole new range of possibilities for mobile users," says Dr. Bob Iannucci, head of Nokia Research Center. "Our aim is to establish an industry standard faster than ever before by offering an interoperable solution that can be commercialized and incorporated into products quickly."
Technical details:
Wibree technology complements close range communication with Bluetooth like performance within 0-10 m range and data rate of 1 Mbps. Wibree is optimized for applications requiring extremely low power consumption, small size and low cost. Wibree is implemented either as stand-alone chip or as Bluetooth-Wibree dual-mode chip. The small devices like watches and sports sensors will be based on stand-alone chip whereas Bluetooth devices will take benefit of the dual-mode solution, extending Bluetooth device connectivity to new range of smallest devices.
