Is Ultra-Wideband (UWB) the Future of Wireless Connectivity?

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is rapidly emerging as a cornerstone wireless technology, offering distinct advantages over other short-range wireless solutions such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, IEEE 802.15.4, and Near Field Communication (NFC). Its unique combination of secure ranging, radar, and sensing capabilities—coupled with its potential to deliver low-latency, high-throughput communication over short distances—is enabling a wide set of use cases across consumer, automotive, commercial, industrial, and smart city environments.

With next-generation UWB based on IEEE 802.15.4ab on the horizon, the technology is poised to become even more compelling. According to ABI Research, UWB is set to be one of the fastest-growing wireless connectivity technologies, with device shipments projected to increase at a 21% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2025 and 2030.

"The UWB chipset and IP ecosystem has grown rapidly in recent years with the expansion of product portfolios, new entrants to the market, and a number of UWB-related acquisitions," said Andrew Zignani, Senior Research Director, ABI Research. "ABI Research expects other vendors to enter the market, as well as the expansion of combo and multi-protocol UWB solutions, tailored solutions to specific market verticals, and unique combinations of UWB technology from a ranging, sensing, and data-communications perspective."

"While this brings enormous potential opportunities, it also brings challenges in terms of standardization and interoperability, more direct competition with other technologies, the need to ensure future spectrum resources, and the creation of a compelling ecosystem of solutions that can support this growing heterogeneity of applications," Zignani added.

In 2024, more than 436 million UWB-enabled devices were shipped. ABI Research forecasts that 27% of smartphones will include UWB technology by 2025, rising to over 52% by 2030. As smartphones increasingly serve as central hubs for a wide range of applications, they are expected to drive broader adoption across the entire UWB ecosystem.

UWB’s early momentum has been fueled by secure ranging applications such as automotive digital keys and personal trackers. These are now expanding into residential and building access control, including UWB-enabled smart locks and commercial access control readers. While secure ranging is expected to dominate volumes—and open opportunities to contactless payment and transportation ticketing—ABI Research also anticipates growing adoption of UWB for radar, sensing, and low-latency high-throughput data communications, enabling a wider range of next-generation use cases.

Companies are already combining multiple UWB capabilities to create innovative solutions—such as automotive secure access with child presence detection. Other emerging applications include wireless audio, low-latency, high-speed links for peripherals, gaming devices, IoT, Extended Reality (XR), robotics, and wearables.

"Different organizations and consortia will need to ensure that UWB can address all these future use cases while achieving performance, latency, and security requirements," Zignani said. "In parallel, continued work is needed to create a favorable regulatory environment for UWB spectrum to strengthen the long-term viability of the technology across these applications."

Source: ABI Research

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