Comments on: Important new technology

By: Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett — Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:48:32 +0000

I doubt that anybody has a binding deal with XSI for any significant quantity of parts, Glenn. Most of the support they’ve shown in 802 has come from research organizations like CRL, not from actual consumer products companies. There is only one company of significant size that folks in the know believe to be a potential shipper of DS-CDMA, but they’re split into two camps internally.

By: Glenn Fleishman

Glenn Fleishman — Thu, 18 Mar 2004 23:57:08 +0000

Remember that Motorola’s acquisition XtremeSpectrum already had signed consumer electronics deals. Unless those were bogus, those companies may come to market even if Motorola’s house brand solution does not.

By: Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett — Thu, 18 Mar 2004 08:27:03 +0000

Motorola has everything they need to succeed in the UWB except two things: a viable technology and some customers to use it. It’s not likely that more than one major consumer products company will actually ship product with Motorola’s DS-CDMA, but several are working on MBOA products.

As to the intellectual property, there’s actually a lot more of it on the MBOA side, especially with the MAC protocol, and given Motorola’s split into two companies, they’re not going to be in a position to do much damage on that front either. Motorola’s behavior in IEEE 802.15.3a has been reprehensible, and they deserve the fate that’s in store for them.

This will all become a lot more clear around December of this year.

By: Glenn Fleishman

Glenn Fleishman — Thu, 18 Mar 2004 01:50:51 +0000

Now I see why you thought I was confused. I’m not saying that Motorola and 80 companies are on even footing. Rather, that Motorola will bring its products to market and so will the MBOA. Even positing this early that the MBOA’s technology will win, you will still have a market potentially full of Motorola and XtremeSpectrum technology.

Another factor. Xtreme has many patents in this field. In the IEEE process, patents for standards must be licensed on reasonable and customary terms to all parties. With the MBOA out of the IEEE process, the likelihood of patent lawsuits dramatically increases with Motorola funding it as an effort to maintain a disruptive marketplace in which they can maintain their hold on manufacturing partners.

Of course Motorola bet early and long on HomeRF, too.

By: Glenn Fleishman

Glenn Fleishman — Thu, 18 Mar 2004 01:10:57 +0000

I’m not confused. The MBOA is 80 companies, but I think it’s premature to say that Motorola’s intended UWB specification will lose. There are too many variables in this. My main intent is note that the MBOA has entirely exited the IEEE process.