STMicroelectronics joins UWB Alliance

Semiconductor company STMicroelectronics has joined the UWB Alliance (UWBA) as a Promoter Class Member, accepting a seat on the board of directors.

Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology has gained wide public attention in recent months. Three of the top 10 smartphone vendors have all introduced UWB into their latest mobile phones, and UWB has also been rolled into PC and smart-wearable products from top OEMs. At the same time, many other technology companies are now deploying UWB for diverse applications such as passive keyless car entry, high-resolution COVID-19 contact tracing, secure payment solutions, AR/VR, entertainment, medical and many other smart IoT services.

The UWB Alliance’s mission is focused on advocating a favourable regulatory environment to promote UWB technology innovation and growth. This includes working to secure new advantageous updates to rulesets in the US and Europe. Committed to accelerating the adoption of UWB technology by providing a centre of excellence for regulatory knowledge and guidance, it works with other international organisations to help members increase their market presence.

ST aims to offer leading solutions to help customers unleash the potential of UWB technology. In July this year the company acquired UWB chip pioneer BeSpoon to further strengthen the wireless connectivity capabilities of the energy-efficient STM32 microcontroller family and supporting ecosystem, which already includes 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, LoRa and Sigfox radio technologies.

“As a leader in the UWB space, ST feels a responsibility to contribute towards regulatory development in the EU and USA,” said Jean-Marie André, Head of the STM32 UWB wireless product line at STMicroelectronics, who was nominated by the company to the UWBA board of directors. “With UWB being widely adopted in consumer products, we join the UWB Alliance to offer our 10-year experience in the field and play a significant role in continuing this trend.”

“I am delighted to welcome Jean-Marie to our board of directors and look forward to contributions from the STMicroelectronics team to the UWB Alliance organisation and working groups,” said Tim Harrington, Chairman of the UWB Alliance.

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