Incisor 75 - Incisor.TV

Transcription

TM
NEWS FROM THE BLUETOOTH™ AND SHORT RANGE RF ENVIRONMENT
IN INCISOR THIS MONTH
Welcome to the November 2004 issue of Incisor.
This issue of Incisor includes the second of our regional
focuses, and much of the magazine is given over to our
‘Wireless in Scandinavia special focus.
Incisor spent a week travelling around Scandinavia, giving us
a better understanding of the state of the wireless market – in
the region generally, and in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and
Finland specifically. We met with many of the companies that
are at the leading edge of wireless developments – after all,
isn’t this where mobile phones and much wireless technology
was invented?
We will continue this wireless focus programme, and will next
visit the Far East. More details of this next, exciting stage of
our programme are included on page 21 of this issue. If you
wish to be included, contact Vince Holton now.
The balance of this issue consists of news items and features
covering developments in Bluetooth, WLAN/Wi-Fi, RFID,
ZigBee and other wireless standards.
The wireless world just keeps getting more diverse, more
successful and more interesting!
Vince Holton, Publisher / Editor-in-chief, Incisor
Email: [email protected], Tel: +44 (0)1730 895614
Our normal feature sections are included, and are listed below:
Features:
Wireless industry news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4
New Bluetooth and wireless products . . . . . . . .4-5
‘Class 1 cordless telephone designs exceed
300m range’ Gary Craggs, CSR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Wireless in Scandinavia special focus . . . . . .7-17
Overview of Scandinavian wireless market . . . .7-11
Profiles of Scandinavian wireless companies . .12-17
Wireless industry intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . .19-22
WLAN/Wi-Fi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19-20
ZigBee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-21
WiMAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21-22
Interactive directory of wireless companies . . . .23
Wireless industry calendar of events . . . . . . . . .24
on the page number to go straight
Click
to this section
Feature section edited by Paul Rasmussen
News section edited by Manek Dubash
Please direct all enquiries to: [email protected]
ISSUE 75
Volkswagen & Infineon say
wireless communication soon to
be standard equipment in cars
Infineon Technologies and Volkswagen have
jointly developed a platform concept for wireless
telecommunication and use of location-based
information services in motor vehicles. The aim of
the cooperation was to permit across all classes
of vehicle the advanced information services that
were previously the preserve of the luxury car
category. Volkswagen and Infineon intend
marketing the platform as a manufacturerindependent solution by making it available to all
interested automobile manufacturers and
suppliers, saying that installing a platform that is
standardized as far as possible across the
industry will result in considerable cost savings,
particularly with high-volume vehicle models.
Differentiation will be provided by the application
software, the functions offered, and also by the
user interface and retention of the vehiclespecific interior design.
The new platform - known by the project name
“Basic Telematics Unit” - removes the need for a
corded handsfree facility in order to use a mobile
phone in a car. The data on the SIM card from the
chosen mobile phone of a vehicle passenger is made
available to the basic telematics unit via Bluetooth,
and all telephone calls are automatically diverted to
the unit. SMS messages, telephone numbers or
names of callers appear on the instrument panel
display. The driver can dial telephone numbers
directly by voice input or using controls on the
steering wheel. Other potential applications include
in-car fault diagnosis with subsequent relaying of the
fault information by GSM/GPRS mobile radio to the
nearest repair shop, as well as automatic calls to
breakdown and recovery services.
1
VW and Infineon steer in-car wireless.
“Only a holistic approach will guarantee the car
becomes a stable complete system. Closer
cooperation between all automotive suppliers and the
car makers will bring huge benefits to all involved and
build mutual understanding and know-how,” said Dr.
Reinhard Ploss, Senior Vice President & General
Manager of the Automotive and Industrial Group at
Infineon Technologies AG.
The basic telematics unit includes Infineon’s
SingleStone module for the Bluetooth application, its
GPS chipset for satellite-based positioning, and its
GSM/GPRS chipsets for mobile communication and
Internet access. Volkswagen developed the software
architecture and the complete software package,
which is modular in design and reusable. The use of
standardized interfaces and rejection of
manufacturer-specific software was a basic condition
for this. Volkswagen integrated the unit into the
vehicle in accordance with its own requirements for
electrics, mechanical equipment, design and user
guidance.
Volkswagen will trial the basic telematics unit in an
internal fleet pilot starting in fall 2004.
Industry news
CSR launches Bluetooth profile pack for
Symbian smartphones
CSR’s embedded Bluetooth software stack
BCHS (BlueCore Host Software) is now available
in a version optimised for the Symbian operating
system. CSR can now provide a comprehensive
range of up to 17 profiles for this operating
system including DUN (Dial Up Networking)
Audio Gateway, Handsfree, BIP, (Basic Image
Printing), Basic printing profile, AVP, (Audio
Visual Profile), CTP, (Cordless Telephony Profile),
and PAN, (Personal Area Network) profile.
The intention is to provide ODMs with a tailored
Bluetooth host stack for smartphone applications,
reducing the risk and cost of adding Bluetooth to a
Symbian smartphone by creating a single source
solution with proven and integrated software and
hardware. The product is developed to work with
both UIQ and Nokia Series 60 SDK's on version 7 of
the Symbian OS today and migrating to Version 8 OS
for 2005.
John Halksworth, product marketing manager,
CSR, commented, "We aim to offer ODMs who
design smartphones with the Symbian operating
system the same choice for designing with
Bluetooth that engineers of many other applications
enjoy. With 17 profiles to choose from, ODMs are
able to offer a full complement of Bluetooth
functionality to users, as well as benefiting from
CSR's trusted and robust hardware solution,
BlueCore."
Halksworth continued, "According to Ovum and
IDC, the smartphone market is expected to increase
six-fold over the next three years. CSR has
recognised this projected growth and its BCHS for
Symbian solution aims to simplify the process for
ODMs by providing a Bluetooth software solution
rich in functionality and low in cost."
Wayfinder and Tele Atlas provide nav
solution for Nokia Wireless GPS Module
Mobile phone navigation specialist Wayfinder
Systems and map provider Tele Atlas have done a
deal with Nokia that sees their mobile navigation
solution bundled as a pre-installed application
with the new Nokia Wireless GPS Module.
The Wayfinder application will be included on a
memory card for the mobile phone and will be free to
all Nokia Wireless GPS Module customers for a threemonth period. The new product connects to
compatible mobile phones via Bluetooth.
With the Wayfinder application in the mobile phone
the user gets dynamic route guidance, including
traffic information and speed camera warnings. When
approaching traffic jams, roadworks or accidents the
Wayfinder MobileNavigator guides the user around
the obstacle. Users can also download city, region and
country maps onto their mobile phone.
The application is compatible with all Nokia
smartphone devices based on the Series 60
platform, and is available with map coverage from
Tele Atlas for Western Europe, the US and Canada.
The application includes three months free
navigation with Wayfinder EuroNavigator. Wayfinder
did not include its charge for ongoing navigation in its
release, nor information regarding support for other
smartphones.
Wireless computer provides bike statistics
Demonstrating its wireless flexibility, Swiss
company Xemics (known in these pages for its
Bluetooth silicon) has provided the wireless
component in the Mavic Win-Tech. This is a
digital wireless computer for bikes, and is said
to be an easy to install and use device, and
provides high-quality, real-time bike statistics.
An LCD display provides up to nine statistics
including pedalling cadence, current speed and
trip distance.
Mavic worked with Xemics on the RF transmission
system for the Win-Tech. The encoded digital
transmission is based on low power architecture.
This has the benefit of extending the battery life to a
minimum of a year. It works without interference to
provide accurate statistics. It also guarantees a
sealed system, no breakdown and perfect
connection between all the linked elements.
The Xemics low power RF transceiver functions in
the worldwide license free 30 to 70 kHz ISM band,
which Xemics says makes it ideal for these types of
applications. The use of RF technology enables the
data to be transmitted with optimal reliability and
the small form factor of the RF chip has allowed the
overall size of the Win-Tech can be kept to a
minimum. This small size and lightness is
2
important in competitive cycling.
Mavic is well known in the cycling world and in the
recent Olympics 80% of cycling track medals had
Mavic wheels, with gold medals on road and cross
country using Mavic products.
Even cyclists need wireless
technology now.
Industry news continued
CSR adds Agere to customer list
With the announcement that its BlueCore
has been selected by Agere Systems, CSR is
clearly demonstrating that it will continue to
win business with former competitors in the
Bluetooth market. Agere, in its previous life
as Lucent, was an early member of the
Bluetooth SIG, joining the original promoter
group. Just like Motorola, which is also now
a CSR customer.
CSR's BlueCore will provide the Bluetooth
wireless connectivity to the Agere EDGE/
GPRS reference platform for feature rich
multimedia handsets.
Agere's EDGE reference platform is based on
the company’s Sceptre HPE chip set, which is
described as the industry's fastest and smallest
Class 12 capable EDGE chip set. Agere was
keen to ensure the Bluetooth solution selected
for the platform met the requirements of offering
handset makers a fast time-to-market and
suited the solution’s small footprint.
Agere aims to provide handset makers a host
of advanced features that consumers expect
including Bluetooth wireless connectivity,
Java, multimedia messaging service (MMS),
polyphonic sound, and push-to-talk.
John Halksworth, product marketing manager
at CSR commented, "BlueCore offers the
fastest time-to-market of any Bluetooth solution
on the market. Combining this with the
industry leading Agere EDGE reference platform
and Sceptre HPE chipset, handset
manufacturers now have a fast and easy
route to manufacturing highly featured
multimedia phones with Bluetooth wireless
connectivity."
Mint RF tester gets full
GSM/GPRS GCF validation
The MINT (Mobile Communications
Integrated Tester) from Spanish test house
Centro de Tecnología de las Comunicaciones,
S.A. (CETECOM) has achieved 100% of its RF
tests validated for GSM Phase 2 and GPRS
testing following the GCF Certification
Criteria (GCF CC 3.16.0). GCF (Global
Certification Forum) is the world’s leading
forum for 2G/3G testing certification.
The scope of the validation covers chapters 12,
13, 14 and 21 for GSM 900/1800 according to
the standard 3GPP TS 51.010-1. The complete
validation will allow handset manufacturers,
network operators and test laboratories to
perform all the conformance, performance and
debugging testing.
The MINT RF Tester is a dual mode test
system for 2G/2.5G/3G products that performs
automatically the conformance RF Test
Specifications for GSM 850/900/1800/1900,
GPRS and WCDMA FDD. MINT also supports
Protocol conformance test cases for WCDMA
according to 3GPP TS 34.123-3.
Xemics and Radiotronix launch
868MHz RF module
Embedded wireless communications
company Radiotronix has just released
its XEMICS transceiver-based Wi.232DTS
embedded wireless module in a European
version, operating in the unlicensed 868MHz
band.
The two companies say that the Wi.232DTS
module is intended to offer a simple, costeffective way to make any wired application
wireless. The built in WiSE (Wireless Serial
Engine) engine contains a MAC layer protocol,
with CSMA, and a wireless RS-232 application.
To use the module, it simply needs to be
connected to a UART-enabled microcontroller
and to have an antenna added. The module is
completely transparent and can operate out of
the box with no configuration. In fact, a pair of
modules can be connected to a couple of PCs
through RS-232 converters and can be used as
wireless modems, supporting any RS-232
application such as Hyperterminal.
With a 114dB link budget at the maximum data
rate, a pair of modules can communicate over
distances in excess of 1200 feet (365 m), while
some customers have reported 3 miles (4.8 km)
line-of-sight. Other key specifications are 15 mW
transmit power, 152.34 kbit/s maximum RF data
rate, 24 mA receive and 45 mA transmit current
consumption. Using a special command mode,
the user can change the UART/RF data rate, set
the networking modes (master/slave or
multipoint to multipoint), set the networking
group, change the output power and read the
unique 48-bit MAC address. The Wi.232DTS
3
features a built-in carrier-sense-multiple-access
with collision avoidance (CSMA-CA) mechanism
that uses a proprietary scoring system to
promote contention-free communications and to
ensure that each node has fair access to the
network.
“This is just another example of the value of
our partner relationships,” said Steve
Montgomery, President of Radiotronix Inc. “Using
the XE1203 from XEMICS, with TrueRF", we were
able to build a very high performance, very
inexpensive RF module that was scalable. Now it
is available in an 868MHz version, opening up
new European markets. And, with Future
Electronics as a world-wide distributor, it will be
readily available to customers abroad.”
Industry news continued
CSR and CETECOM Spain strengthen
partnership for testing new
Bluetooth features
Mindful of the need to carry out and support
protocol testing for Bluetooth Specifications
V1.2, CSR has upgraded its BITE (Bluetooth
Qualification Tester).
As the BITE Protocol Tester is the first
Conformance Tester to implement the official
V1.2 Test Vectors currently specified by the
Bluetooth SIG, CSR is confident that it is the right
tool to support the development of new V1.2
devices and is the reference conformance tester
for qualification of Bluetooth V1.2 products and
components.
Version 1.2 of the Core Specifications provides
significant enhancements, such as:
• Adaptive frequency hopping to eliminate
interferences
• New eSCO packets to improve voice quality
• Accelerated discovery procedures to provide
faster connections between Bluetooth devices
• L2CAP Flow and Error Control to avoid errors
in transmission when sending large files
• Revised QoS
Peter Flittner, Program Manager Responsible
for Bluetooth Qualification and Regulatory
Testing at CSR, comments “CSR and
CETECOM Spain have collaborated by sharing
prototype products at an early stage of
development so that our customers can be
assured that CSR products pass the
conformance tests on the BITE tester. CSR has
purchased a V1.2 tester after the 1.1 tester
became an integral part of our product testing.
The 1.2 tester is in a compact package and
offers features to improve convenience and
speed of operation”.
Bluetooth products
Nokia and Land Rover offer
handsfree solution
Co-operation between car and phone
companies to enable better in-car
communication and infotainment systems
continues apace. Nokia and Land Rover have
jointly developed the Personal Telephone
Integration (PTI) System, an integrated
automotive communications solution
especially for Land Rover vehicles such as
the new Discovery 3 (see pic) and Range
Rover. The system offers features such as
connection either via Bluetooth or via wired
connection by using a compatible mobile
phone holder.
With the PTI System, users can access key
mobile phone functions such as viewing and
selecting phonebook entries, initiating and
receiving incoming calls, viewing call logs and
managing text messages - all via the vehicle's
central infotainment display. The PTI System is
integrated with the vehicles' high quality audio
system. Voice dialling and other key phone
functions can be activated using the vehicles'
steering wheel controls. The voice function
enables speaker independent number dialling
and access to voice tags.
"Today's drivers demand more advanced
technology than ever before in their vehicles. We
are confident the PTI System we developed for
Land Rover will meet with the expectations of
Land Rover customers by seamlessly integrating
some of today’s leading-edge technologies such
as voice recognition and wireless connectivity to
name but a few," said Marcus Stahl, General
Manager Automotive Accounts, Nokia Smart
Traffic Products.
4
New Land Rover vehicles with the PTI System
are expected to be available in Q4 2004 in
Europe, Asia and the USA.
Bluetooth products continued
Jabra ships portable Bluetooth
speakerphone
Jabra has commenced shipments of its latest
Bluetooth product, the JABRA SP100 Bluetooth
speakerphone for hands-free communication in
any location. The new battery-operated portable
wireless speakerphone requires no installation,
offers quality sound, has a two-watt 96 dB
speaker to give good audio quality, and
provides up to 12 hours talk time and 20 days of
standby time.
The JABRA SP100 Bluetooth speakerphone comes
with a complete package of accessories. A visor clip
and suction mount are included for use in the car, and
several power and charging options are available with
two rechargeable batteries, a mains/AC adapter and a
vehicle power adapter. The speakerphone also
operates with standard AA batteries, making it easy to
keep charged at all times.
"The SP100 is the most versatile Bluetooth
speakerphone on the market, perfect for use either in
the car, without requiring costly installation, or for use
as a hands-free speakerphone in the office and at
home," said Ben Bushell, Country Manager, Jabra UK.
"It is the wireless speakerphone that fulfils the
promise of a powerful, high performance mobile
speakerphone for today's mobile professionals and
mobile lifestyle."
The JABRA SP100 Bluetooth speakerphone became
available in October in Europe, the Middle East and
Africa and North America, followed by Asia Pacific at
select retail outlets with a suggested retail price of
UK£79.99.
Jabra and O2 tackle retail
JABRA has teamed up with mobile giant O2 to
champion Bluetooth products in O2 retail
stores across the United Kingdom.
O2 and JABRA have developed a co-branded
bubble-shaped bay equipped with the latest
wireless Bluetooth hands-free products for O2 retail
outlets, saying that this is the first time that a mobile
retailer has responded to the growing demand for
Bluetooth products, and recognised the need to
educate the public on Bluetooth technology; and it is
also the first time that O2 has teamed up with a
partner to create a co-branded area in-store. Roll
out of the new Bluetooth bay will begin in midSeptember and O2 expects to install the bay within
230 of its larger O2 stores by Christmas 2004.
Motorola MPx220 offers quad band,
Bluetooth and Windows Mobile
Often labelled a sleepy giant, Motorola
seems to be re-writing its biography. The
company has embraced the opportunity to
grab handset market share when others –
notably Nokia – have been enjoying less than
stellar fortunes. In addition to an impressive
and growing line-up of Bluetooth
accessories (see report in next issue),
Motorola continues to add more - and more
sophisticated - handsets to its portfolio.
During October, for example, Motorola
announced the retail availability of its MPx220 in
the United States. Designed to meet the needs
of what Motorola calls "pro-sumers" - including
multi-tasking professionals and discriminating
consumers - the Motorola MPx220 comes with
Windows Mobile software.
With e-mail synchronization to the desktop –
described by Motorola as the most requested
mobile enterprise application to-date – the
Motorola MPx220 provides continuous access to
PIM/e-mail, IM, multimedia, and business
contacts, as well as family and friends. It also
boasts the latest in Bluetooth, downloading
capabilities for Windows Mobile and Java
applications, a speakerphone and expandable
memory. Rounding out its feature line-up is
Quad Band capability, an integrated 1.23
megapixel camera featuring zoom, self-image
capabilities, and video capture and playback.
“For many of today’s busy executives, the
traditional ‘office’ is a thing of the past,” said
Michael Tatelman, vice president and general
manger, MOTOPro Products, Motorola, Inc.
5
“Their business world is mobile: available on the
road, at their homes, on the go or any place in
between. The email and
synchronization power
of the Motorola MPx220
addresses their needs in
one package, ideal for
the busy professional
who wants to travel
seamlessly
through
their day.”
Hello, Motorola Bluetooth
smartphone.
Class 1 cordless telephone designs
exceed 300m range
by Gary Craggs, CSR
CSR has created a number of reference designs
for cordless telephones based on its latest
Bluetooth v1.2-compliant chips, which pose a
serious challenge to DECT for residential and SOHO
use. This has considerable implications, not least
of which is the prospect of creating a ‘one world’
phone that can also be used in the US.
Bluetooth has long been regarded as a possible
technology contender for cordless telephones, but the
real-world RF performance of available designs has
meant that the technology has struggled to meet the
range expectation for Class 1 devices, preventing this
application area developing at anything like the rate of
the more traditional, data-centric Bluetooth market
sectors. This situation is now set to change
dramatically: CSR’s BlueCore3 and BlueCore4 families
of Class 1 single-chip Bluetooth radio designs achieve
RF performance parameters that permit ranges
suitable for use in residential cordless phones – the
company has recently conducted a series of tests
consistently yielding a range in excess of 300m. In
addition to this, technological improvements
introduced since the adoption of version 1.2 of the
Bluetooth specification and recent addendum have
further contributed to improvements in voice
communication capabilities.
The most significant technological improvement as
far as voice communication is concerned is almost
certainly the fact that the latest Bluetooth specification
supports eSCO (extended Synchronous Connection
Oriented) voice channels. These error-checking
channels facilitate automatic retransmission of voice
data in the event of lost or missing voice packets, and
allow negotiation of data transfer rates to maintain a
high quality of service. The other main technology
driver is the introduction of EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
Bluetooth; although this was developed primarily for
data intensive applications – handling up to 2.1Mbps –
it also has the advantage that for a given amount of
data, the RF transmitter is only active for about 33% of
the time compared to a non-EDR link. This significantly
increases the battery life of mobile devices such as
cordless telephones. Although EDR has yet to be
incorporated in the v1.2 Bluetooth specification, it is
standard on all chips in CSR’s BlueCore4 range.
Furthermore, all Bluetooth v1.2-compliant radios
now feature AFH (Adaptive Frequency Hopping) and
Channel Classification to coordinate the frequency
used by the Bluetooth link in the presence of other
2.4GHz radio devices such as WiFi, thereby reducing
the likelihood of interference. Since WiFi is especially
popular in the USA, Bluetooth’s AFH feature is likely to
be a key factor in opening up
the domestic market for digital
cordless telephones intended
for residential use. But
perhaps the most important
aspect is operating frequency.
DECT cordless phones operate
in the 1.88 to 1.9GHz band,
which in the USA is allocated
to PCS (personal communication systems) and is not
licence-free; as a consequence, standard DECT
phones cannot be used in the
USA. Bluetooth, on the other
hand, operates at 2.4GHz. This
is a licence-free band in
CSR's Class 1 Bluetooth radio chips provide a range of more than 300 metres.
virtually every country worldwide, and is also a healthy
distance from the 900MHz, 1.8GHz and 1.9GHz
operating frequencies of GSM and PCN/DCS mobile
phones, eliminating any potential interference issues.
Manufacturing costs are another reason that
Bluetooth is poised to enter the residential market.
Industry analysts now consider the Bluetooth market to
have reached maturity, with more than 3 million
devices being manufactured and sold every week.
CSR, for example, which has a 42% unit market share
and >60% design win share of Bluetooth-enabled end
products, last month announced that it had shipped 50
million Bluetooth chips since the company was
founded. These exceptionally high production volumes
create considerable economies of scale, to the extent
that industry-standard Bluetooth single-chip radios are
now a cost-effective solution for use in residential
cordless phones and base stations.
CSR is currently finalising a number of reference
designs for Bluetooth cordless telephones, which will
to be available from Q1 2005. The first design will be
for a low-cost data-capable system intended for use in
and around the home. The same Bluetooth technology
can be used in converged GSM/Bluetooth networks.
These designs will offer users a high quality voice
communication and are already attracting
considerable attention from service providers.
The combined GSM/Bluetooth telephone potentially
offers users a huge number of advantages. Simply
being able to use one telephone – and one number –
for home and mobile communication will be a key
selling point. Other obvious benefits include the need to
only maintain a single, centralised database of
contacts, and the flexibility to switch between cellular
and wired networks from the one handset, enabling
users to choose the most appropriate service provider,
tariffs and services at the touch of a button.
Furthermore, the converged network will free up GSM
resource by making use of the PSTN as an extension of
the GSM network, thus expanding cellular density.
Gary Craggs is a mobile phone Bluetooth
specialist with CSR. He can be reached via
[email protected]
Sponsored contribution
6
Incisor special focus
Wireless in Scandinavia
Incisor visits Europe’s wireless HQ
After travelling West, to the warmth of
California in July, Incisor’s travelling ‘Wireless
in …’ road show headed in the other direction
in late September, to Scandinavia.
We didn’t need to pack our skis and snow
chains. Contrary to what many people believe,
the Southern, most populated parts of Norway,
Denmark, Sweden and Finland enjoy a
temperate climate, and are not permanently
covered with several metres of snow.
But we live in a world that loves stereotypes,
and some of those that relate to Scandinavia
are true. Blond or fair hair is very
commonplace, people are good looking, very
open and hospitable, and generally have a
relaxed and friendly attitude. Towns as well as
countryside are clean, tidy and safe.
But the stereotype most prevalent in our
industry – that Scandinavia is a region heavily
populated with tech companies – couldn’t be
truer. This Incisor feature provides general
information concerning the Scandinavian tech
climate.
As a starting point, why is there such a
proliferation of wireless development in a group of
relatively sparsely populated countries? There is a
very simple answer to that. It is because providing
telephone connections across sparsely populated
countries, with somewhat rugged terrain, is never
easy. Cellular phone networks were the answer,
and it is no surprise therefore that Scandinavia
was the birthplace of the mobile phone. NMT
networks connected people when otherwise they
would be without a phone, and earlier than this
was happening elsewhere in the world. So,
Scandinavia has a longer wireless history than
most anywhere. It is no wonder that it has so
many telecommunications companies, and that
many wireless technologies have been developed
here. But beyond this, what factors have made
companies from other parts of the world choose
Scandinavia as a base for operations?
We will try to provide some of the answers, and
we profile successful companies operating in
Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
SCANDINAVIA RETAINS POSITION AS TECH
POWERHOUSE OF EUROPE
Alongside medical research and bio-chemistry,
technology has replaced ship-building (one of the
most important Scandinavian industries until it
died in the ‘70s), timber, paper, car assembly and
other heavy industry as the driving force behind
the economies of Scandinavia. Tech’s impact has
been significant, and has pushed the Nordic
countries to the top of global rankings. To such an
extent that it is said to have initiated a social
revolution, providing Scandinavians with new
enthusiasm and vigour.
In the Global Competitiveness Report 20042005, released by the World Economic Forum,
Finland remains the most competitive economy in
the world and tops the
rankings for the second
consecutive year. The
United States is in second
position, followed by
Sweden in the third,
Taiwan fourth, Denmark in
the fifth position and
Norway sixth.
Examples of the brand new
co-existing with the old
abound in Scandinavia.
continued
7
Incisor special focus continued
Scandinavian countries are performing well by
other yardsticks, too, as the charts below show.
into the Scandinavian employment market. Lund
University in Sweden, Aalborg University in
Denmark and the Academy of Finland were all
given special praise.
An example of this co-operation can be seen at
Aalborg University, which, in its promotional
material, describes its primary purpose as
undertaking high quality research and teaching
within a wide range of disciplines. However, the
University also recognizes the value of interaction
with external organisations and has created the
Knowledge Exchange Office to assist the
University and organisations in creating and
strengthening mutually beneficial relationships.
expensive proposition for regular workers, but
company-funded execs are doing it.
The influence of the bridge seems to have
been more than just physical. To an outsider,
there seems to have been a genuine coming
together of the tech industries in Southern
Sweden and Denmark. A zone of tech competence
and co-operation has evolved, and not just in
people’s minds.
The Øresund Bridge creates a physical link between Denmark
and Sweden.
Low tech transport for high tech students at Lund University.
"The Nordic countries are characterized by
excellent macroeconomic management overall they are all running budget surpluses - they have
extremely low levels of corruption, with their firms
operating in a legal environment in which there is
widespread respect for contracts and the rule of
law, and their private sectors are on the forefront
of technological innovation," said Augusto LopezClaros, Chief Economist and Director of the World
Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness
Programme, according to a recent press release.
ACADEMIC AND HIGH TECH WORLDS MARRY
A recurring theme throughout out time in
Scandinavia was the influence of educational
establishments. Companies we talked to all
specifically mentioned how their local universities
were supporting industry by focusing on tech,
wireless and scientific research and by
encouraging close links with the commercial
organisations that surround them. This is an
efficient system that ensures a continuous flow of
well-educated, technology oriented young people
Lund University in Sweden, meanwhile, has had
links with the tech industry for more than 20
years, since Ericsson chose to establish its mobile
phone business at the Ideon Science Park in Lund
in the 1980s. Indeed, there was a local joke that a
secret tunnel existed between Lund University and
Ericsson, ensuring that the phone company
secured all of the best students!
LINKING COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS INDUSTRIES
A fundamental change in Scandinavia came
about when the Øresund Bridge between Denmark
and Sweden was opened in 2002. For the
businessman flying in to visit both Danish and
Swedish companies this is very convenient, as it is
now simple to fly into the major international hub
that is Copenhagen airport, grab a hire car and be
with either Swedish or Danish companies within
minutes. Until you have done it, you just don’t
realise how well it works.
Toll charges across the bridge (32 Euros one way
or 64 Euros for a round trip) are high enough to
make commuting between the two countries an
An entity known as Øresund IT has been created,
and is a project carried out by three organisations
- Position Skåne, Copenhagen Capacity and
Øresund IT Academy - which have joined forces to
promote skills within the IT sector in the Øresund
Region. The Øresund Region comprises Greater
Copenhagen, in Denmark, and Skåne, in southern
Sweden. Overall, the region has 3.5 million
inhabitants.
Position Skåne (former Region Skåne Inward
Investment) and Copenhagen Capacity are publicly
funded organizations that assist, free of charge,
foreign companies in establishing activities in the
Øresund Region.
The services offered by Position Skåne and
Copenhagen Capacity include:
• General and specific information about
commercial opportunities in the Øresund
Region
• Organizing programmes for visits to the
Øresund Region
• Contact with potential industrial partners and
with local R&D institutions
• Contact with venture capital companies and
other investors
• Providing support to companies during and
after the establishment of activities in the
Øresund Region
The third player - Øresund IT Academy - is a
cooperative organization for Swedish and Danish
IT companies in the Øresund region. Overall, the
Academy aims to create an optimal environment
for the development of business, education and
research in the IT sector, concentrating on
creating meeting places for business and higher
education.
continued
8
Telecom industry giants Nokia, Ericsson Mobile
Platforms and Sony Ericsson all operate in the
Øresund region. In fact, Nokia’s main R&D centre
for mobile phone development is in Copenhagen,
with 1200 employees in total, 1,000 of whom are
engineers. Ericsson Mobile Platforms employs 600
people in Lund on the Swedish side of Øresund,
and one quarter of Sony Ericsson’s global
workforce is also Lund-based.
While Denmark and Sweden are now physically
linked where once they weren’t, Norway, Sweden
and Finland share land borders, and the other
main tech ‘hot zones’ – Oslo in Norway,
Stockholm/Kista in Sweden and Helsinki/Espoo
and Tampere in Finland are linked by relatively
short air links.
SCIENCE PARKS PROLIFERATE
Another common feature across Scandinavia is
the decision to create dedicated ‘zones’ for tech
companies.
We have mentioned previously the IDEON facility
in Lund. Opened in 1983 and now home to 40
companies and more than 3,000 employees,
IDEON is the longest established of these
science/tech parks, and set the parameters which
have since been replicated across the region.
These include not only physical office space and
the infrastructure to service it, but also assistance
with business processes associated with starting
companies – management advice, access to
venture capitalists and business angels for
funding, and the availability of good, young staff
from the universities that are keen to partner with
the science parks.
One side of this Malmo road is home to the industrial past ….
Then turn around and see the future …
A few kilometres South of Lund, in Malmö, much
of the waterfront area - that had been the home of
major shipbuilders such as Kockums - is now
being transferred into a huge new development
area for tech companies. As fast as old buildings
are being knocked down, massive, shiny new
ones are springing up. The burghers of Malmö
have not forgotten that company staff need to live
somewhere, and alongside the new commercial
buildings, many hectares have been given over to
the construction of stylish – and expensive,
apparently – new housing for the tech trendies.
Housing for workers in the tech industry. And if the tower
block in the background looks twisted, that’s because it is!
Another tech park is NOVI, the privately owned
development that is home to CSR Denmark and
more than 50 other companies. NOVI describes its
role as developing and providing investment capital
and premises for high-tech companies with an
international potential. It says that it cooperates
closely with research institutions and sees its
science and business park as 'production facilities'
and its pre-seed innovation environment as the
primary 'production line'. Focusing on the seed and
early stages of a company's life, NOVI A/S's venture
capital represents the subsequent production lines.
A similar facility exists at Aarhus. Science Park
Aarhus is the science park for the East Jutland
part of Denmark.
IDEON, NOVI and Science Park Aarhus are just
three examples of dedicated environments that
have been set up to encourage new and
established IT and telecom companies to operate
in Scandinavia. It is a system that appears to work
well, and appears to be more ‘organised’ in its
cultivation of tech company development when
compared with communities in other countries,
including that other bastion of tech growth, Silicon
Valley in California,
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SUPPORT
While co-operation between the commercial and
the academic worlds is vital, it would not be
enough without government level support. Talks
with the senior executives of Scandinavian
companies and organisations such as Øresund IT
confirm that each is aware of and grateful for the
fact that their governments have recognised the
need to support this industry. One that provides so
much economic growth and boosts a country’s
rankings on the global playing field.
While the picture across Scandinavia is much
the same, we will take Finland as an example for
this feature. Technology forms an essential part of
the Finnish industrial policy and is acknowledged
at the highest level of the Finnish government. Key
issues concerning technology are regularly
discussed at the Science and Technology Policy
Council (SCTP), chaired by the Prime Minister of
Finland. The Ministry of Trade and Industry
oversees Finland’s technology policy.
Finland is increasingly investing in research and
technological development and R&D investment
now totals 4.9 billion euros, 3.5 per cent of the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2002. The
private sector share accounted for 3.4 billion
euros.
Tekes is the main public funding organisation for
research and development in Finland, funding
amounts to 380 million euros annually. Tekes
funds industrial projects as well as projects in
research institutes, and especially promotes
innovative, risk-intensive projects. Tekes offers
partners from abroad a gateway to the key
technology players in Finland. The SCTP says that
results of R&D investment are clearly visible in the
structural change of the industry and in the wide
range of Finnish high-tech exports.
The electronics and electrical industry now
represent the third strongest supporting arm of the
Finnish national economy alongside the forest,
metal and engineering industries. Tekes’ role is to
ensure the competitiveness of traditional industrial
clusters, and at the same time, to create and
oversee the growth of new industry, working in
collaboration with several partners within the
Finnish innovation environment. For basic research,
the main agency of implementation is the Academy
of Finland. At regional level, the technology policy is
implemented by the T&E centres (Employment and
Economic Development Centres).
From a purely business perspective, the key
players are Sitra (the Finnish National Fund for
Research and Development), Finnvera (Export
Credit Agency) and Finpro (Association for
internationalisation services) and Invest in Finland.
continued
9
This Danish waterfront is typical of times gone by.
Now, tech companies occupy prime waterfront real estate.
Denmark, Sweden and Norway are equally well
organised. In Denmark, for example, the Ministry
of Science, Technology and Innovation was
created in November 2001 as an extension of the
former Ministry of Information Technology and
Research. It was intended to co-ordinate the
universities (research and education), industrial
research and Denmark's policy on technology and
innovation.
A number of institutions and commissions are
associated with the Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation, including the
universities, Danish Research Agency, Risø
National Laboratory, the National IT and Telecom
Agency, the Secretariat of the Danish Rectors'
Conference, the authorised technological service
institutes (GTS institutes), Advanced Technology
Group (the Industry Association for the GTS
institutes) and the Innovation Group. In addition
the Ministry provides the secretariat supporting
the Danish Council for Research Policy, the
Telecommunications Consumer Board and the
Telecommunications Complaint Board
NON-PARTISAN RECOGNITION OF
ACHIEVEMENT
During our travels we discovered that while a
Swede might joke about a Finn, and a Finn might
joke about a Dane, a Norwegian or Swedish
person, relationships between the Scandinavian
countries are pretty good. What’s more, this
attitude is outward looking. Scandinavians are
willing to recognise something good even if it
came from elsewhere. For evidence of this, look
no further than the Millennium Technology Prize
(MTP), which is awarded biennially by an
independent fund, the Finnish Technology Award
Foundation. The MTP is awarded for outstanding
innovations that directly promote people's quality
of life, are based on humane values, and
encourage sustainable economic development.
At a ceremony held in June, World Wide Web
inventor Tim Berners-Lee was named recipient of
the first-ever Millennium Technology Prize,
receiving one million euros in addition to the
honour.
Berners-Lee was
born in London,
UK in 1955 and
grad-uated from
Oxford University
in the UK Not
Finnish, then, nor
from any part of
Scandinavia. He
invented the Web
while working at
CERN, the world's
The man behind the Web –
largest particle
Tim Berners-Lee.
physics laboratory
in Geneva, Switzerland. Berners-Lee created the
first server, browser, and protocols central to the
operation of the Web: the URL address, HTTP
transmission protocol and HTML code. The web
was first made available to the public in 1991 –
still only 13 years ago!
Currently Berners-Lee works at the World Wide
Web Consortium (W3C) at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), in Boston.
All of which consolidates the belief that
Scandinavian people have an un-selfish view, and
are prepared to recognise achievement wherever
it originates.
SUMMARY
So, Scandinavia is a good place for tech
companies to operate, whether they are a start up
or established, endemic or incomers. Across the
four countries there are numerous good locations,
enthusiastic investors, support from national and
regional authorities, and an unrivalled and
continuous source of good staff from the
enlightened educational establishments. To top it
all, Scandinavia is just a damned fine place to live
and work – beautiful topography with most of the
populated areas on or near water, culture –
museums and art galleries abound - good social
services and medical care and excellent access to
the rest of the world.
Are there any down sides? Well, we did hear that
it is not yet as easy to move staff from one country
to another as some employers would like, and
more than one company mentioned that
bureaucracy levels are high. This is no tax haven,
either. On a number of occasions during this and
previous visits, people complained that taxes are
high. Do things like the high standards of medical
care and facilities balance this out? Do these
Do you wish to study? Or visit the botanical gardens, a
museum or two, or maybe you just want a helping of Kulture?
All is on offer in Scandinavia.
same people complain when they take their
extended periods of maternity leave – husbands
as well as wives? Perhaps not, and these things
do have to be paid for.
Overall, much is right in Scandinavia. For
manufacturers in countries where the tech industry
is less well supported by its government,
competing in the wireless sector must present
a daunting challenge. Scandinavia does seem to
represent an amazingly strong, thoroughly well
organised force as a supplier of technology and
wireless IP, made more so by the willingness of
the four different countries to embrace each other’s
skill sets, and to co-operate in order to succeed.
USEFUL LINKS:
www.oresundit.org
www.skane.com
www.nordicunwired.com
www.tekes.fi
www.NOVI.dk
www.ideon.se
www.investinfinland.fi
www.investinsweden.se
www.investindk.com
continued
10
Wireless in Scandinavia profile:
Bluegiga Technologies
Location: Espoo, Near Helsinki, Finland
In the early days of Bluetooth, much was
made of the technology’s potential as an
access mechanism for corporate information
systems. Data was being stored, and
starting to be manipulated by, smaller, more
portable devices than the – usually Ethernet
connected – computing devices that were
the thin clients of the time.
Red-M blazed this trail, but abandoned the
market. Does this mean that this wireless application
had no potential? Finnish company Bluegiga
Technologies Ltd firmly proves that this is not the
case. Founded in 2001, Bluegiga provides wireless
local area networks and communication systems
based on Bluetooth, connecting Bluetooth enabled
devices with corporate networks and the Internet.
Incisor talked with Bluegiga’s Vice President of
Sales and Marketing Tom Nordman, a founder of the
company alongside CEO Jarkko Jukarainen, Chief
Technology Officer Teem Vainio, Chief Technology
Architects Pasi Huhtiniemi and Timo Latvala. The
company’s offices are just outside Helsinki in Espoo,
one of Finland’s hotspots of wireless development.
Nordman explained that during the late ‘Nineties,
Bluegiga’s founders had been discussing wireless
technology, how it could address market needs, and
how Bluetooth could fit in. Based on the usage model
described in our opening paragraph, a strategy was
created. “We decided to go down two roads,” said
Nordman, “We would produce a range of finished
products for sale to corporate/enterprise customers,
and also a range of modules that could be sold to
OEMs and system integrators.”
With significantly lower power drain and superior
flexibility compared to WLAN technologies, Bluegiga
felt that Bluetooth was an ideal link between small,
battery-operated wireless devices and data networks.
A Bluetooth access server was the first finished
product. Using its embedded Bluetooth technology,
content and applications in both the Internet and
corporate intranets can be wirelessly accessed and
synchronized using smart phones and other Bluetooth
enabled devices. The first Bluetooth modules followed
in 2002.
Today, Bluegiga sees its customers building
modules into devices such as bar code readers,
industrial PDAs and payment terminals. These are
then linked to corporate networks via the company’s
access servers.
“We have had considerable success with these B2B
Bluegiga Access Server
connects Bluetooth enabled
devices to the Internet/intranet”.
applications. It is a niche that is now being serviced
by very few companies,” said Nordman, “The cost per
connection and the features we offer are both very
good. For example, we were the first company to
introduce Bluetooth roaming between access servers
– this means that, for example, a Bluetooth barcode
reader can freely move around in a warehouse,
without any connection breakdowns.”
Bluegiga has also cleverly dealt with the issues
relating to Bluetooth’s topology. Supporters of other
standards say that Bluetooth is less suitable than, say,
ZigBee, which can support up to 256 nodes. Not a
problem for Bluegiga: “We use multiple Bluetooth
radios in the access server and can support up to 21
simultaneous full speed connections” said Nordman.
Bluetooth’s high levels of built-in security has also
made it popular with Bluegiga’s payment terminal
customers, whose need for security of data is greater
than most.
It is probably no surprise that Bluegiga has had
some contact with Nokia. The two companies codevelop Bluetooth connectivity for applications
running on the Nokia 12 machine to machine (m2m)
GSM module platform. Nordman described one
example: “A number of vending machines are
connected together as a Bluetooth sub-network,
communicating system status, stock needs and
maintenance issues via a GPRS link.”
Surprisingly, it is not Scandinavian customers that
make up most of Bluegiga’s sales., Today, the
company has more current projects in Southern
Europe. One of these is an R&D collaboration
agreement with Global Consulting Touch Ibérica
Bluegiga modules
built into automotive
tracking and event
recording system.
(GCT), a Spanish company specializing in
mobile and location technologies. This sees
the two companies focusing on the integration
of location-awareness with Bluetooth
connectivity. The Bluegiga Bluetooth module
has already been integrated in GCT’s
automobile location products, featuring
positioning and communication capabilities
that allow integration with other Bluetoothenabled devices.
These are used for applications such as the
supervision and route planning of transport company
vehicles. The solutions incorporate the latest
advances in mobility: GPS localization, GPRS data
communication, event recording and fleet
management of the trucks. A continuous connection
between company offices and the vehicles provides
significant improvements in efficiency and security.
Nordman explained that it was Bluegiga’s modules
that were paving the way for many of these projects:
“There are two main versions of the module. One
comes without an antenna and is soldered directly to
the PC board. The other is a board-to-board module
with everything completely integrated. Both come
with a number of different software versions in order
to address different applications. We find that
customers will buy our modules to start their
research, and then come back for the access servers
in order to build complete systems. The modules are
great door openers!”
Does this success to date mean that the company
will remain an exclusively Bluetooth company? It’s a
case of what works, is available, and suits the
application, according to Nordman: “We will continue
to develop and launch new Bluetooth modules, but of
course we are monitoring developments in WLAN,
GSM, GPRS and other wireless technologies. ZigBee
seems to have a lot of potential, but it is not at the
moment a real business solution. Its about where
Bluetooth was 2 to 3 years ago.”
So, Bluegiga has created a business for Bluetoothbased information systems, when others failed. The
company has also shown that in order to succeed, a
Finnish company does not have to ride on a large
mobile OEM’s coat tails.
And that Bluetooth is a viable, flexible, secure and
sophisticated technology that can operate at the heart
of networks linking mobile devices or remote
machines to corporate networks.
www.bluegiga.com
continued
11
Chipcon AS
Location: Oslo, Norway
1 billion radio chips. That’s a big
number by any standard, and
significant for Norwegian company
Chipcon AS, as Incisor learned when
we talked with Svein Anders
Tunheim, Chipcon’s Chief Technology
Officer.
Remember the number, as we shall be
coming back to it later.
Based in Oslo, in Southern Norway,
Chipcon is a fabless semiconductor
company that designs, produces and
markets high-performance standard
CMOS radio frequency ICs (RF-ICs) for
use in a variety of low power, low cost
wireless applications.
Tunheim explained the background to
the company: “Chipcon President Geir
Forre, VP of business development
Sverre Dale Moen and myself had
worked together on analogue and RF IC
design at a research institute called
SINTEF. In 1996 we started our own company
providing specialized ASIC (Application Specific
Integrated Circuits) design services.”
In 1998, after Chipcon had been engaged on
various custom projects, the company decided that
it would extend its strategy, taking on the full
product responsibility, and becoming a 'fabless'
semiconductor company.
In 1999, Chipcon made a strategic move to include
ASSPs (Application Specific Standard Products) for
short range wireless communication in its product
portfolio.
The ensuing years have seen Chipcon continue to
develop ASICs, but most focus has gone on radio ICs
and all new development projects are now focussed
on this. Chipcon has developed a range of standard
RF-IC products. Focus is both on proprietary solutions
for operation below 1GHz or at 2.4 GHz and
standards-based solutions, i.e. IEEE 802.15.4 and
ZigBee. Chipcon’s keys to designing competitive
products are highly innovative and integrated
solutions and use of cost-effective submicron CMOS
technology. Chipcon’s main markets are home and
building automation, automatic meter reading and
consumer electronics.
Chipcon is growing fast. With sales offices in the
USA, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, plus
distributors at 46 locations in 29 countries,
awareness of Chipcon is growing. This is reflected in
the company’s sales numbers. Revenues leapt to
Norwegian Krone (NOK) 108 million (approx.
US$16.5M) in 2003, up from NOK53.3 million in
2002. The company is profitable, too, recording after
tax profits of NOK 4.1 million. Chipcon uses two FABs
to build its chips – the very well known TSMC and
also Austria Micro Systems.
Incisor first came to know Chipcon through its
ZigBee activities. A member of the ZigBee alliance,
Chipcon has followed 802.15.4 and ZigBee
developments since 2002. In November 2003
Chipcon launched the CC2420 onto this market, the
first complete, commercially available IEEE 802.15.4
Chipcon CC2420 - first commercially available IEEE 802.15.4
compliant 2.4 GHz RF transceiver.
compliant 2.4 GHz RF transceiver.
Tunheim is bullish about prospects: “The
potential market is enormous. This is the
only global standard to truly address the
market for genuine, low power wireless
monitoring and control applications.
Response to the CC2420 has been
tremendous, and we have sold hundreds
of development kits.”
In order to provide a complete
solution, Chipcon signed an agreement
with US company Figure 8 Wireless to
use its software stack. “Choosing Figure
8 Wireless was not a difficult decision,”
said Tunheim, “They were the only
company with a truly available, proven
stack, and our customers like them.”
Tunheim believes that ZigBee will
change usage scenarios: “It is now
easier for customers to deploy advanced
mesh networks. Previously it was
necessary to use proprietary network
protocols, which was not straightforward. Now,
customers can easily build their applications on top of
the ZigBee stack.”
Chipcon will expand its ZigBee range. 2005 will see
the launch of the CC2430, a system-on-chip (SOC)
solution that includes the CC2420, a microcontroller,
Flash and RAM plus peripherals.
Customers are already implementing systems,
according to Tunheim: “The main application areas for
IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee are home/building
automation and large-scale industrial installations
and even consumer electronics applications. We
would predict that the big volumes would be seen
from about 2006, initially around 802.15.4 solutions,
with ZigBee perhaps a couple of years years later.”
Surely that timescale leaves an opportunity for other
standards such as Bluetooth to fill market needs? Not
so, apparently: “Bluetooth is more telecom related
and is very good in the cable replacement market. Its
future lies with enhancements such as EDR. ZigBee
has very good momentum now, major global
companies are backing it, and it is an ideal solution
for the market it targets. In the low-cost, low power
market, Bluetooth is just not suitable. Despite some
talk, I don’t think a ZigBee-rivalling Bluetooth Lite is
going to happen.
Cost is a key factor. The $5 dollar price point was
the marker for Bluetooth, but Tunheim suggested that
continued
12
$3 was the target for ZigBee’s total Bill of Materials
(BOM) cost. Today’s price for an IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee
radio transceiver in high volumes is $2. In addition
comes the cost for the microcontroller, the PCB and a
few external components. “In a couple of years the
total BOM cost will be lower than $3.”
Tunheim predicts that the market for low power, low
cost solutions will ultimately be bigger than Bluetooth
and WLAN combined.
But it is not just technology that makes Chipcon
stand out, says Tunheim. The company has a carefully
crafted corporate culture. Tunheim explained:
“Chipcon cares very much about the environment its
staff work in. We will go a long way to involve our
people. As an example, we still take all of our staff
away one weekend per year to discuss the company’s
strategy and direction. People like this, which works
for us inside the company and in our dealings with
our customers. Our most immediate customer
interface is via our support department, of which we
are immensely proud. Our Support Team is providing
high quality support, and we have a 24 hours
response policy.”
Chipcon needs to be able to rely on its staff, as
Tunheim describes Chipcon as a ‘hugely ambitious’
company. “In order to achieve our ambitions,” explained
Tunheim, “We have defined a set of core values. These
are credibility, fellowship, vitality and courage.”
And it is that last value – courage - that brings us full
circle to the beginning of this profile of Chipcon. For
that courage is linked to a determination that the
company will set high goals for itself.
“We have two corporate goals,” said Tunheim, “One
is to be world number one in the low cost, low power
RF IC sector. The other is to have shipped 1 billion
chips by the year 2011.” So there is that number - 1
billion chips. RF Micro devices took 13 years to ship 1
billion power amps. Chipcon went from 5 million
shipped between 1999 and November 2003, to 10
million by July 2004. A ‘chip-o-metre’ at the
company’s HQ is monitoring progress for staff and
visitors to see.
Will Chipcon have shipped 1 billion chips by 2011?
It’s hard to predict today, but the company seems
uncommonly determined to do so.
www.chipcon.com
connectBlue
Location: Malmö, Southern Sweden
It is a fact that many, many people
in the Scandinavian wireless
community know each other – often
they have worked together.
This is very true of connectBlue, a
company operating out of Malmö – one
of Sweden’s most densely packed
centres of wireless expertise. Founder
and President Rolf Nilsson cut his teeth
with Satt Control/Alfa Laval, alongside
connectBlue co-founder Thomas
Vonheim and many high profile people
now spread throughout the wireless
industry.
Prior to Alfa Laval’s acquisition by ABB
Automation Products, Nilsson and Vonheim had
gained early experience of the industrial wireless
market. “We were looking at wireless solutions in the
area of process control and factory automation 20
years ago,” said Nilsson. “Solutions were very
specialised, and there were a lot of licensing issues to
deal with.”
“Cabling has always been a problem,” Nilsson
continued, “In a typical industrial installation, one
third of the cost is equipment, one third is application
software, and then a full third of the project cost is the
cabling installation. Then that cabling has to be
maintained. For this reason, the industrial sector has
a great need of wireless solutions.”
With this in mind, connectBlue was formed in 2000,
the founders being Nilsson and Vonheim, with CTO
Mats Andersson and Marketing Director Pelle
Pelle Svensson (left) and Rolf Nilsson of connectBlue.
Svensson now part of the management group.
Svensson had been approached many times while with
Ericsson’s Bluetooth team concerning the suitability of
Bluetooth for use in industrial applications. Three local
investment companies – Briban Investments, Malmö
Hus Invest Group and Midway Holdings, provided
funding to get the project off the ground. Both
Schneider Electric and Phoenix Contact have since
taken equity stakes in connectBlue after having
completed projects with the company.
During connectBlue’s first year, a Bluetooth RS232
adapter was developed. “Industrial customers
weren’t ready to embed a new wireless technology
such as Bluetooth until they knew more about it.
RS232 is the most common serial communication.
RS422 and RS485 are also based on UART but use
alternative voltage levels etc. and enable
multiple slaves and are widely used in
industrial products. All are serial
communication, so it made perfect
sense to base our first wireless solution
around an RS-232, RS422 and RS485
device” said Nilsson.
Interest in connectBlue’s product was
immediate, and many companies
started trials. Then the tech industry
recession struck, and it became difficult
to turn interest and trials into volume
sales. This didn’t last forever. “The
turning point came 15-18 months ago,
when Bluetooth itself started to take
off,” said Nilsson. It was Bluetooth’s more widespread
acceptance that really boosted the cause, as Nilsson
explained: “Industrial customers are conservative and
cautious. They will not adopt new technologies until
they are seen to be standardised, proven and widely
available. Bluetooth had by this time gained this
status, and pricing was acceptable.”
Svensson added that by comparison with earlier,
wired solutions, Bluetooth-based systems are very
cost-effective. The client no longer has to pay for
expensive cabling nor the high prices demanded for
low-volume, proprietary wireless solutions. Now, a
simple, off-the-shelf PDA or notebook PC does the job
- and more.
Off the shelf products aren’t always the answer,
though. In such cases connectBlue offers consulting
services to create a complete package. A recent
continued
13
project has seen connectBlue create a web server to
be used over Bluetooth. This enables a worker to
manage control and monitoring functions through a
familiar, web-page based user interface (PDA).
Nilsson still sees connectBlue as primarily a product
company, and the range has now grown to include
ruggedised, waterproof versions of the Bluetooth
adapter, a series of system on board OEM modules,
and a number of custom products. connectBlue also
offers a range of approved antennas to suit different
applications.
connectBlue product range includes
ruggedised adapters and system on board modules.
Attention to detail has been key. ConnectBlue
products meet all necessary approvals – including
those specific to medical and automotive environments
and - equally importantly - offer continuity of supply
and interoperability. “Industrial clients have no interest
in a product that will be updated soon after they
installed it, the update rendering it incompatible with
what went before. Our customers work on product life
cycles of 5-10 years, not the 1-2 years that is typical
elsewhere. If you are going to make changes there has
to be a migration strategy.”
With 1500 customers across the world, connectBlue
is clearly on the road to success.
The company is philosophical about its future
direction. “Despite our focus on Bluetooth, we know
that there are applications out there for which
Bluetooth isn’t the optimum solution,” said Nilsson.
“Many of our clients have Ethernet, and wish to
implement wireless access. Naturally, in such cases
we recommend WLAN. In other cases, it may be that
Bluetooth’s topology isn’t exactly right, or we need to
have the lowest cost/lowest power consumption
device - perhaps ZigBee would be better? With a view
to becoming a ‘technology agnostic’ company, we
have been researching all options, and will broaden
our portfolio in order to provide our customers with
the best solution, every time.”
There is no question, though, of connectBlue basing
itself anywhere other than Southern Sweden, as
Nilsson explained: “Scandinavia has a good image in
the wireless sector, so this helps when securing
funding.” The fiscal environment has its ups and
downs, though. Nilsson described both bureaucracy
and taxes as ‘high’. Back on the plus side of the
balance, the Scandinavian image/reputation again
helps: “The concentration of wireless activity has
other benefits, too, Svensson added: “Bluetooth was
born here in Sweden. As a result, we are able to staff
our company with people with 7 or 8 years Bluetooth
experience. Add to this the fertile environment
created by the proliferation of wireless companies in
our immediate area, all working closely with Malmö
University and Lund Institute of Technology and you
can see that a supply of good people is ensured.”
There does seem to be a gravitational shift of
Swedish wireless development to the Malmö/Lund
area. Broadening the scope of its activities to meet
the needs of a ‘wireless hungry’ industrial community,
connectBlue is firmly located in what is perhaps the
most concentrated area of wireless expertise in all of
Scandinavia.
www.connectblue.com
CSR Denmark
Location: Aalborg, Northern Jutland, Denmark
Visiting CSR’s Danish facility was a fascinating
experience. No follower of the Bluetooth
marketplace could doubt CSR’s success. Its
BlueCore silicon features in 60 percent of all
Bluetooth qualified end products and modules,
and international names such as Microsoft,
Nokia, Dell, Panasonic, Audi, NEC, Toshiba,
Samsung and Sony are CSR customers.
In February 2004, CSR floated on the London Stock
Exchange in the largest UK technology floatation in
three years. The company has glossy, ‘Big Co, Inc.’
headquarters in Cambridge, UK, plus offices in the
USA, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and - the subject of this
profile - the software design group on the NOVI
Science Park in Aalborg, Denmark.
Truly, a picture of a business that is quickly
maturing into a large corporate organisation.
So why is our visit to CSR Denmark so fascinating?
Because this Scandinavian division retains the feel of
a young, dynamic and pioneering software house.
Michael Bak, Managing Director of the Danish office,
described the philosophy: “We are very keen to
maintain the culture within our design group that
allows us to compete at any level. Designers are
designers wherever they are, and we attract good
ones from all over the world, from all kinds of
companies. Designers who get caught up in being
big corporates stop being innovative and hungry for
the next big thing. They lose the spirit that keeps our
group alive!”
When it came to deciding where to find the team
of software engineers it needed, CSR had no doubts
that Aalborg was the place to look, as Bak explained:
“There is a high concentration of wireless companies
in this area. The university here has co-operated well
with these companies, and has encouraged learning
in telecommunications and wireless. This has
created a valuable pool of engineering expertise.”
CSR’s Danish office near Aalborg, in the North of the country.
continued
14
Moving the team to Cambridge was an option that
was discussed. “When we talked to the engineers it
was clear that they preferred to stay here, and from
that point we dropped that idea” said Bak.
According to Bak, one of CSR’s main targets has
been to see Bluetooth widely implemented in mobile
phones. It is apparent from its policy of developing
and promoting reference designs that providing a
complete solution was essential. Bak commented:
“At one time it was necessary for customers to buy
their hardware and software from different suppliers,
or to develop software themselves, but now they are
giving up on this and buying the complete solution.
We are a one-stop shop.“
All but one person (an administrator) at CSR
Demark has an engineering background, and so the
raison d’être of the division is clear. But CSR has
plenty of engineers elsewhere – so what is the
Danish team doing? Bak explained: “Our engineering
team in Cambridge develops the chip designs and
associated firmware. Over here we look after the
BCHS host software stack.”
CSR’s commitment did not stop at servicing a
single platform, and this has been the latest phase of
development for the Danish team. “Our goal is for
BCHS to support all 21 Bluetooth profiles across
more operating systems – CE, Symbian and Linux,
for example” said Bak.
The goal posts are constantly moving, as Bak
explained: “New profiles are constantly under
development. Early Bluetooth phones would support
one profile at a time. Now, customers expect to be
able to make a phone call, synchronise with their PC,
listen to music and surf the Internet – all at the same
time.” Plus, of course, CSR always sets out to be first
to market with each new version of Bluetooth. Little
time to relax, then.
And, if CSR’s Danish team wasn’t already busy,
there is a further job to be done. “Our team here is
divided between those engineers working on pure
development, and those that are supporting
customers. All engineers working on support will
have first had to work on development of the BCHS
stack,” said Bak, continuing, “Support is not just a
help desk. Our engineers work with our customers to
find applications or solutions that will differentiate
their product. The customer doesn’t need to be a
Bluetooth expert.” CSR supports customers all over
Aalborg office responsible for the CSR BCHS host software stack.
the world, of course, and it is the Aalborg facility that
trains CSR’s trainers.
Despite this successful picture - or maybe because
of it - CSR Denmark is facing a problem. “Bluetooth
has now become a ‘must-have’ technology in
cellphones,” said Bak, “As a result we have found
ourselves constantly needing to employ more
engineers. We started 2004 with 10 engineers here,
we have 16 now and we are targeting to have 21 by
the end of the year. With growth levels expected to
continue at the same rate, we are planning that we
will be up to 30 by the end of 2005.”
However, other companies are growing too, and
Bak is experiencing more of a challenge in recruiting
the extra staff he needs. He feels that CSR has an
advantage over other employers: “Working with a
company like CSR means that an engineer can
expect his work to be part of a market-leading
solution, used by large numbers of people across the
world. Engineers are stimulated by that,” said Bak,
continuing, “That gives CSR an advantage,
nevertheless we have had to step up our recruiting
activity – working with the university, and hosting
open days at which engineers can meet with us oneto-one, and learn about the company.”
So, wireless engineers considering a career change
might want to take a look at this dynamic business in
Aalborg, Denmark. CSR seems to offer the best of
both worlds. A big, highly successful, visible
company that at the same time seems determined to
offer its engineers the stimulating, ‘you can make a
difference’ environment of a small, emerging
business. A pioneering design spirit is useful for any
company. The reality is that many of CSR’s
competitors move slowly as a result of being a small
part of large, intransigent behemoths. CSR and its
Danish software business seem determined to avoid
this trap.
www.csr.com
gigaAnt
Location: IDEON, Lund, Southern Sweden
Ask most people to describe what should be
considered first when designing an electronic
device such as a notebook computer, headset,
PDA or cellphone, and they are very unlikely to
mention the antenna.
Yet, as Swedish company gigaAnt suggests, this is
a bad move. So many aspects of the device’s
performance are affected by the antenna that this
should be high on the priority list when apportioning
real estate on a PCB, or within a casing.
Patrick Byhmer, VP of Marketing and Sales at
gigaAnt, explained: “If a cellphone or a headset
provides poor reception, or a PC or PDA struggles
to make a Bluetooth or WLAN connection, the
whole product – or at least the radio technology is dismissed as defective. In reality, it could
just be that a bad decision was made when
the antenna was selected, and the place
to put it was decided.”
And this is one of the key messages that gigaAnt
has worked to get across since it was started in
2000 – think about your aerial early!
The company grew out of Moteco (today Perlos
AB), which has 35 years antenna experience and
was itself owned by Hexagon. Ericsson,
representing its own and the Bluetooth SIG’s
interests at the time, was in discussions with
continued
15
the antenna manufacturer during 1999 over the
antennas to be used in Bluetooth installations.
gigaAnt was spun off specifically to address this and
other short range RF antenna needs, and now
produces a complete range of standard and custom
antennas for headsets, handhelds, portable PCs and
adapters.
“gigaAnt’s first antenna product was delivered to
another Lund company – Axis – in April 2000,” said
Byhmer, continuing: “Our next big break was the
project to supply the antenna to be used in HP’s
Bluetooth-enabled iPAQ. This contract is still in place
today, and has seen double-digit sales growth each
year since.”
It is the very success of wireless technology that is
creating many of the problems, according to Byhmer:
“Consider a current cellphone. For some time tri-band
phones have been commonplace. Phones have
needed to support GSM, AMPS, 1800 & 1900 MHz.
Now we also have four cellular bands, UMTS, GPRS,
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. All of this through one antenna. It
is no wonder that performance has started to suffer.”
Byhmer went on to explain that the ideal solution
was to find space for more than one antenna – one
to handle cellular, the other to handle the short range
RF. “In the past, manufacturers have often chosen to
have custom antennas designed, cramming
everything into the space that they have left – the
antenna is often an afterthought. So there has been a
need to put ever more antenna performance into
smaller and smaller spaces. Now, though, there is a
growing realisation that this is not the best way to do
it, and space is being created for our standard
antennas. These are designed from the start to
provide optimum performance. What’s more, they are
available off the shelf, at the right price and ready to
go. Sales of standard antennas are on the increase as
a result.”
gigaAnt’s range now includes antennas operating
from 868MHz up to 5.9GHz, but Byhmer confirmed
that most of its sales were for antennas to be used in
Bluetooth and WLAN, and increasingly, ZigBee
installations. And future trends? “The areas where
we see further growth potential are audio-visual –
where you have lots of peripherals sharing digital
media held on a central unit - and industrial and
control systems. In the first of these – audio-visual –
streaming of stereo audio requires high performance
to achieve quality sound. The demands of the
industrial market are different, but also represent a
very big business opportunity.” To address the
industrial market, gigaAnt has partnered with nearby
company connectBlue, also profiled in this feature.
While gigaAnt’s headquarters have remained in
Lund, sales success has allowed the company to
expand its operations, with a presence in Singapore
and in Fort Worth, Texas. The US operation was
opened first, mid-2001, in recognition of the location
of many of gigaAnt’s customers. Things are changing
now, according to Byhmer: “The majority of our
business is now coming from the Far East, rather
than the US, as it used to be. Most sales are made in
Taiwan and Korea, although manufacturing is taking
place in China.”
Closer to home in Lund, Southern Sweden, Byhmer
praises the facilities provided at the Ideon Technology
Park where it is based, with both Moteco and Perlos
nearby: “Ideon provides a complete package to start-
up technology companies, including access to
sources of funding and advice, in addition to the
basics of a roof over your head and the infrastructure
that you need. The concentration of technology
companies, and the ready availability of skilled staff
makes this a first class base to operate from.” Incisor
can confirm from many visits to Ideon, that it and the
surrounding development are indeed home to many
more of the best known Swedish technology
companies – Sony Ericsson, Ericsson Mobile
Platforms and Anoto to name just three.
And that unusual nomenclature? gigaAnt names its
individual antenna products after species of ant, a
cheery depiction of which has been the backbone of
the company’s marketing (for anyone missing the
point - GIGA-hertz ANT-ennas – OK?). The latest
addition to the big family of gigaAnt antennas is
called Comata; a 12.8x3.6x3.3 mm small antenna
specially designed to please Smart Phone
manufacturers. The 2.4 GHz antenna will be readily
available by the end of the year.
gigaAnt is targeting
Smart Phone manufacturers with the new Comata antenna.
Lest you should be worried that gigaAnt’s product
range could be limited as a result of running out of
ant names – don’t. There are more than 4000 to
choose from!
www.gigaant.com
RTX Telecom
Location: Aalborg, Denmark
It is possible to be aware of a company for a
long period of time, yet not know it well. Such a
company, for Incisor at least, was RTX Telecom
(RTX). We have reported on the company’s
Bluetooth activities a number of times, met with
them at shows, but have never seen the whole
picture. This was rectified when we visited RTX’
stunning headquarters in Noerresundby, just
outside Aalborg, in Northern Jutland, Denmark.
An area that has become a centre for high tech
development, and especially wireless.
Today, RTX specialises in the development of
advanced wireless communication solutions across
the entire range of wireless technologies - DECT,
continued
16
DPRS, VoIP, IEEE 802.11a/b/g, 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz, NMT,
GSM, GPRS, TD-SCDMA and Bluetooth. RTX develops
solutions for the telecom, healthcare, infotainment
and semiconductor industries.
Jorgen Elbaek, CEO & Managing Director, and
Marketing Manager Jens Kofoed hosted our meeting.
Elbaek explained that from the 1950’s, companies
had been building televisions in the Aalborg area, and
that some of this electrical know-how was later
transferred across into developing 2-way radios for
marine and emergency services. Companies such as
Sailor, Storno and Motorola Denmark became world
leaders in this area. “It was perhaps predictable that
this work would lead these companies into
developing the first wireless mobile telephones” said
Elbaek.
In 1983/84 Elbaek was an engineer working for
Dancall. He and colleagues were developing NMT
450 phones. An initial production run of 1,000 units
– which was a huge volume and planning risk at the
time - was an immediate success. Looking back, he
has a philosophical view of those times: “We started
at the same time as Ericsson and Nokia, but
unfortunately, Danish investors did not have the
vision of their counterparts in Sweden and Finland,
and so Dancall was not able to compete on the same
level and didn’t get to grow as big as those
companies.”
In 1987 Elbaek left Dancall with 6 colleagues and
founded T-Com, a company that designed NMT900
(and NMT450) and ETACS/EAMPS phones. The
company was sold in 1991 to Korean company
Maxon, and after working for 2 years as consultants
to Maxon, Elbaek founded RTX with two colleagues
(joined by 3 others in 1994). They started up by
developing a DECT cordless phone on their own
initiative and showed it to National Semiconductor,
which was very enthusiastic. A relationship with
National was cemented, with RTX maintaining a
design partner relationship to this day.
Today, RTX, which went public in 2000 and
established a presence in Silicon Valley in San Jose,
California, has an extremely broad portfolio of some
300 wireless product initiatives including a TDSCDMA 3G videophone for the Chinese market. Its
blue-chip customers include AT&T, Agilent, Siemens,
Panasonic, Bang & Olufsen, Ericsson and headset
manufacturer GN Netcom. In August this year, the US
Food and Drug Administration approved RTX’ 3320
PSTN Wireless Telehealth Gateway, a Bluetooth to
PSTN device designed for home monitoring, e-health
and remote disease management applications.
However, if there was one dominant theme during
our talk it was the importance to RTX of the emerging
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) market. Put simply,
VoIP transmits telephone calls over data networks,
normally the Internet. VoIP is expected to
revolutionise communications in the next few years
and is already being used by a number of service
providers for low-cost, long-distance connections. It
has also found a home in enterprise networks for
connections between local branches as a way of
cutting telephone costs.
Free Internet calls for consumers with VoIP telephones.
RTX is addressing this market, and has positioned
itself to offer VoIP products and product
development. The first product is finished, and is a
dual-mode DECT cordless handset (see above),
which connects either to the PSTN, or at the push of
a button will route calls over the Internet. To look at
and to use, this is a conventional, cordless phone,
with just one addition – the button that enables free
Internet Calls via a USB connection with your
computer. Was it simple to use? Yes it was. Did it
work? It certainly did.
This product will hit retail stores at the end of
November branded Olympia – just in time for the
Christmas market - at a price less than 1000 Danish
Kroner (about US$160). At launch the VoIP phone will
primarily be aimed at the Danish consumer. With a
household population of 2.3 million, of which 1
million has a broadband/ADSL connection, Denmark
is seen as a good test market. Sales in the rest of
Europe will follow soon after.
RTX is adamant that the product has to be easy to
use by one and all, not just Internet geeks. Kofoed
commented: “This is a mass market product and is
designed to offer USB plug-n-play installation – less
than 10 minutes from start to finish. The phone would
not succeed if we had not achieved this.”
17
To boost the phone’s chances, RTX has
collaborated with Skype, a global provider of free to
download Internet telephony software offering
consumers free calling worldwide. So far more than
30 million people have downloaded Skype’s
software. In Europe, Skype leads the market,
although it is not alone. MSN is number 2, with
Net2Phone number 3. RTX can also demonstrate the
phone using MSN.
Its not just RTX, Olympia and Skype that believe this
is the next big thing. US Federal Communications
Commission chairman Michael Powell is quoted as
saying: “I knew it was over when I downloaded
Skype. When the inventors of KaZaA are distributing
for free a little program that you can use to talk to
anybody else, and the quality is fantastic, and it’s free
– it’s over. The world will change now inevitably.”
RTX is in discussion with other potential OEM
customers, and according to Elbaek has a time to
market advantage: “We are not alone in developing
this type of VoIP phone, but we believe we have a
good, six month lead.”
Underpinned by a ready source of skilled wireless
engineers, many coming from the local engineering
college and university, RTX Telecom looks set to
continue to innovate, with the VoIP opportunity
seemingly the ‘Next Big Thing’.
Incisor certainly left the meeting with a much better
understanding of this diverse company, and respect
for its wireless design and development skills.
www.rtx.dk
Incisor regional focus programme
Wireless in the Far East!
See your company profiled in Incisor
Incisor’s travelling road show has now visited California and Scandinavia.
Two special focus issues have provided our global readership with a
detailed insight into the wireless marketplace in these two centres of
research and development, design and manufacture.
Our Wireless in the Far East special issue will review companies operating
in or having important strategic resources based in countries including
Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia and China - the epicentre of the electronics
industry.
Incisor will travel to the region in January 2005 to talk to leading companies
who wish to be profiled in our Wireless in the Far East special. This will
appear in the March ’05 issue (publ. last week of February). We will create
profiles based on face-to-face meetings, and where this is not possible,
telephone interviews.
This is a commercial programme. The paid-for profile that we offer will include:
•
•
•
•
•
An overview of the background to your company, including length of time
in business, significant milestones in the history of the company, etc.
A summary of the products / services offered by your company
An interview with a senior company executive
How the company's products / services are marketed (OEM and/or
distribution? Within the Far Eastern region or globally?)
Click-able links from the magazine profile to the your company's web
site - either general areas or an area specifically created to manage
enquiries resulting from this profile.
Incisor will also gather general information to provide an insight into the
wireless market in this region - i.e. trends and developments, which
technologies are likely to succeed, and which could fail? And how this
relates to the global wireless market.
If your company would like to be included in the Wireless in the Far East
special issue, please contact Vince Holton as soon as possible.
Vince Holton –
Publisher/Editor-in-chief, Incisor
Phone +44 (0)1730 891330
E-Mail [email protected]
18
TM
Wireless industry intelligence - WLAN/Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Alliance rejects pre-standard
802.11n features
Intending to stamp on those vendors keen to
jump the 802.11n gun, the Wi-Fi Alliance has
announced that it will not certify data rate
enhancement features based on the IEEE
(Institute for Electrical and Electronics
Engineers) 802.11n amendment to the 802.11
wireless LAN standard until the standard is
ratified by the IEEE.
The Wi-Fi Alliance (formerly WECA) is the global
Wi-Fi organization that created the Wi-Fi brand. A
non-profit trade association, the Alliance was
formed in 1999 to certify interoperability of IEEE
802.11 products and to promote them as the
global, wireless LAN standard across all market
segments.
No IEEE 802.11n products currently exist,
and none are expected to exist until the
standard is completed in approximately two years
(November 2006). Due
to the potential for
customer confusion, the
Wi-Fi Alliance says it is
‘strongly discouraging’
use of the term “IEEE
802.11n” in association
with any Wi-Fi Certified
product.
In case you are
wondering what clout
Fank Hanzlik, MD, Wi-Fi
the Wi-Fi Alliance has to
Alliance.
enforce this ‘suggestion’,
it says it will revoke the Wi-Fi certification of any
product with claims of IEEE 802.11n capabilities if
that product is proven to adversely impact the
interoperability of other Wi-Fi Certified products.
“Pre-standard products always present an
inherent risk for technology adopters, and that is
why we will not certify 802.11n products until the
IEEE standard is finalized,” said Wi-Fi Alliance
Managing Director, Frank Hanzlik.
Gartner’s Ken Dulaney, an analyst covering
wireless LANs added, “Vendors took advantage of
unsuspecting buyers when they touted prestandard technology for 802.11g that later did not
meet the standard. Left unchecked, the industry is
unfortunately poised to repeat itself with 802.11n.
With this announcement, however, the Wi-Fi
Alliance demonstrates its commitment to ensuring
that the Wi-Fi logo stands for product integrity and
true interoperability. We intend to support the
organization’s stance using the full power of our
influence with our clients.”
First products supporting cellular and
Wi-Fi certified
The first round of Wi-Fi Certified products
providing both Wi-Fi and cellular
communications have been announced by the
Wi-Fi Alliance. The Alliance says that there are
also a large number of similar products under
development, which, it suggests, means that
the market wants products that enable both
Wi-Fi and cellular communications. That being
so, the Wi-Fi Alliance has initiated a WiFi/Cellular Convergence (WCC) task group
focused on identifying and meeting the cellular
industry’s unique certification requirements for
Wi-Fi functions in WCC devices.
The first round of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products with
WCC capabilities includes:
Wi-Fi Capable PDA/Cell Phones
• HP iPAQ Pocket PC h6315 (available now)
• Nokia 9500 Communicator (scheduled for Q4 2004)
• Motorola MPx (scheduled for 2nd half of 2004)
Wi-Fi Capable Handheld Computer
• Intermec 760 Mobile Computer (available now)
Wi-Fi Convergence Accessories
(enables Wi-Fi in select PDA/cell phones)
• SanDisk Connect Wi-Fi SD Card (available now)
“Through its established global network of labs,
the Wi-Fi Alliance has the certification infrastructure
in place to advance the cellular industry’s adoption
of Wi-Fi in converged Wi-Fi/Cellular products,” said
Wi-Fi Alliance Managing Director, Frank Hanzlik.
“Responding to the unique needs of the cellular
industry, the Alliance has been working with the
world’s leading convergence device manufacturers
to form a new task group that will facilitate this
market’s growth. We see this initiative as a valuable
opportunity for product manufacturers and service
providers to work together to define the
requirements of this market” Hanzlik added.
TM
Would you like to see your company profiled in Incisor?
Reach our targeted audience of 25,000 wireless industry watchers at more than 1300 companies around the
globe! For information on editorial profiles, advertising and e-marketing in Incisor, please contact us at:
[email protected]
or call +44 (0)1730 895614
19
Wireless industry intelligence - WLAN/Wi-Fi continued
WLAN – On a long road to widespread
enterprise adoption in Europe - so says IDC
While the number of European hotspots
nearly doubled in the first half of 2004 and
sales of WLAN equipment continues to show
positive growth, overall interest levels among
enterprises in using WLAN hotspot services
remains very low.
In the last couple of years WiFi has generated a
lot of interest, consumers have adopted WiFi for
home networks and mobile operators have started
to deploy WLAN hotspot services in public
locations all over Europe. Nevertheless, the usage
levels of such services targeted at business
traveller remain low. Results from an IDC end-user
survey of 650 businesses in eight European
countries show that:
• Only 36.7% of respondents' organizations have
a formal mobile data strategy.
57.7% of the respondents in the
interviewed countries are aware of WLAN
hotspot services offered in their countries, only
8% of the respondents said they were very
interested in having such services.
• 11.3% of large enterprises are very interested in
using PWLAN services, whereas only 4.3% of
small companies said they were interested in
using such services.
Beginning in 2003, the majority of mobile, fixed,
and specialized operators in the countries where
interviews took place started to deploy public
WLAN hotspot services. Although the number of
hotspots doubled in the first half of 2004, hotspot
deployment in many of these countries is still in an
• Although
early phase. Hotspot services are not fully
integrated into the mobile offering, and more
importantly, the majority of locations lack large
numbers of users. The current challenge for
operators is to increase interest in using such
services. By attracting more users, operators are
able to increase traffic on hotspot networks and
generate sufficient revenue streams to make
hotspot deployment successful.
"If operators want their corporate customers to
adopt these services, they will have to educate
their customers better about exactly what
advantages these services can bring to their
businesses," said Evelien Wiggers, a senior
research analyst at IDC's European
Telecommunications and Networking group.
Wireless industry intelligence - ZigBee
There’s connected, there’s highly
connected, and there’s ZigBee
It's taken 30 years for Ethernet to reach the
volume shipments we see today, but the new
ZigBee standard for wireless networking of
embedded systems has the potential to
overtake it within a year, according to Bob
Metcalfe, the inventor of Ethernet.
Speaking at the ZigBee Design Conference
organised by Cambridge Consultants and Ember
Corporation, Metcalfe noted that just 2% of the
annual eight billion embedded microprocessor
shipments a year are currently networked.
Such rapid growth is not achieved without
interruptions, but the parallels and lessons of
Ethernet, are all there for today's developers to see
and exploit. In particular, the distributed nature
and openness of Ethernet helped it triumph over
many competitive technologies. Vendors who
initially used Ethernet to improve their own product
performance and costs found that the ability to
interoperate with other vendors' equipment
opened up much larger markets. The same kind of
model will be true of the open ZigBee standard,
thinks Metcalfe, but - potentially - on a much
shorter timescale.
If a number of obstacles
including the ability to
buy a complete ZigBee
radio, microcontroller and
networking software on a
single chip are quickly
overcome (the technology
is already being targeted
by Ember with design
assistance
from
Cambridge Consultants)
Bob Metcalfe, Ember.
the incredible shipment
quantities projected by analysts are achievable,
Metcalfe believes.
He added that the
attractiveness of ZigBee is such that the growth
figures could even be larger, as the value of a
networked processor is so high that it will attract
many product companies that currently do not use
microprocessors at all.
He concluded with some thoughts on particular
design challenges facing the networked embedded
system developer, including the concept of a
directional transmission capability that will simplify
the user interface for the highly connected world.
20
And, a warning that too much information from
embedded devices - the tag on your dog's collar
that tells you while you're driving to work that he's
strayed outside his permitted range, for example could be the equivalent of today's internet spam.
Bob Metcalfe is a partner with the venture capital
firm Polaris Ventures, one of Ember's financial
backers. He has just been appointed chairman of
Ember following its recent $25m funding round.
Earlier this year, Ember purchased a portfolio of
wireless integrated circuit technology that
Cambridge Consultants had been developing for
the ZigBee market, and hired the development
team. Cambridge Consultants is also providing
ongoing design support to Ember, and has just
become the first European application software
development partner to the corporation - allowing
it to produce application-specific implementations
of its chips.
Wireless industry intelligence - ZigBee continued
Spectre moves into ZigBee
UK embedded communications specialist
Spectre has signed an agreement with Ember
Corporation, to support UK developers in working
with Ember’s ZigBee-ready mesh networking
technology for sensor and control applications.
Target markets include in-building automation,
home control, industrial automation and medical
devices and utility industries.
Spectre is focused on enabling communications for
non-communications specialists, over ranges from a
few feet to several miles. Its strategy is to work with
customers, starting with their communications
requirement, and recommending an appropriate
wireless or wireline solution. This is then delivered
either as a complete, ready to use module, or as
components for further integration. Spectre supports
solutions based on established standards including
GPRS, GSM, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, ZigBee, ultra-wide
band, TCP/IP, as well as selected appropriate
proprietary solutions.
Commenting, Doug Gilmour, Marketing Director,
Spectre, said, “Ember’s total solution including RFChips, mesh networking software and developer tools
perfectly complement our portfolio of wireless
communications solutions, adding a short-range, fastdeploying solution for both industrial and home control
network applications.” He added, “Support for an over
the air upgrade to the final ZigBee standard, when it is
ratified, enhances the obvious appeal of this robust and
well-designed network topology that has been
successfully implemented in real applications with real
customers.”
Mohamed Awad, Applications Manager, EMEA at
Ember Europe added, “With a track record in wireless
communications spanning six years, and 135 years of
combined experience in this technology, we see
Spectre as the ideal partner for our customers to work
with in bringing their low-cost, low-power wireless
projects to fruition. They have demonstrated particular
strength in the wireless control market, and we believe
have the expertise and the relationships to be
extremely successful with Ember’s total solutions.”
Wireless industry intelligence - RFID
SAP and Infineon introduce RFID
Hardware and Software
From the press releases that cross our desks here
at Incisor it is apparent that RFID is happening, and
happening now. Major corporations such as Philips,
and now SAP and Infineon Technologies are getting
behind RFID. The latter two companies have
announced a new radio frequency identification
(RFID) solution to meet companies’ needs to connect
and manage RFID hardware and software from
multiple vendors.
Based on the SAP NetWeaver technology platform and
Infineon’s RFID You-R OPEN (OPerating ENvironment)
device integration platform, the new offering will help
companies deploy RFID hardware, devices, tags and
software components for RFID-enabled business
processes while reducing integration costs and risks.
The platform can manage a full range of RFID
implementations, from tags to enterprise applications,
including RFID device management, related hardware
and software products and services. SAP and Infineon
will be offering the platform for pilot implementations in
retail organizations as well as more complex installations
in the industrial manufacturing, high tech and aerospace
industries.
The solution, which is available now, is intended to
help companies meet current RFID mandates and Is
apparently scaleable to support future RFID-enabled
business processes. In addition, companies will be able
to undertake incremental roll-outs, beginning with basic
compliance scenarios, scenarios relating to logistics,
vendor-managed inventory and collaborative
manufacturing and, as needs arise, moving to RFID
industry solutions and full-scale RFID-enabled business
processes.
“The combination of SAP’s outstanding customer
base in business software solutions and Infineon’s
expertise in RFID technology, system integration as well
as tailor-made applications will help to accelerate RFID
implementations throughout various industries,” said
Peter Bauer, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Infineon
Technologies AG. “The new scalable solution, which
Infineon is already using within its own supply chains, is
easy to implement and can grow with the RFID needs of
our joint customers, from a simple pilot implementation
to a full-scale RFID business process.”
“With this offering, companies can accelerate their
return on investment in RFID hardware, software and
business processes,” said Claus Heinrich, Member of the
Executive Board, SAP. “The combined solution from SAP
and Infineon will help companies reduce integration
costs while giving them the flexibility to rapidly adapt to
new processes and changing standards. SAP and
Infineon’s proven track record gives companies the
stability they need to support a long-term investment in
RFID technology and applications.”
Paxar first to market with compact RFID
smart label
Paxar UK is making short feed length 915 MHz
Class 1 RFID smart labels available in feed lengths
as short as one inch. Paxar’s Monarch 9855 RFID
printer/encoder can encode these small labels
reliably, without interference from the next label.
The new smaller label is available through Paxar’s
Q-Service for RFID service bureau, as well as for
encoding with the Monarch 9855 RFID
printer/encoder.
“This new small RFID label is a big technological
innovation with practical applications,” said Rick
Bauer, Senior Director, RFID Technical Research. “In the
past, suppliers to Wal-Mart and other early RFID
implementers were forced to use large labels, normally
four inches by six inches. While those work well for
continued
21
Wireless industry intelligence - RFID continued
suppliers that want to combine their normal bar code
carton label with the RFID label, many vendors told us
that they don’t want to change their bar code labelling
process. By offering this one-inch feed length label,
users can now encode and print the required EPC
information as a separate process, so they don’t have
to modify their bar coding system. In addition, there are
many companies faced with a requirement to place
RFID labels on small packages. This new label is
Monarch RFID label printer.
perfect for that purpose.”
Rick Bauer continued,
“RFID labels that must
be placed on cartons
containing metal or liquid
items create special
challenges. In some
instances, there are
specific requirements as
to where the bar code label must be placed. These
requirements have not changed, and we’ve found that
for metal and liquid items, the bar code label location
is often not best for the RFID label. Now, Paxar
customers can use a smaller label and place it in its
optimum location on the carton for best read rates.”
Paxar is a member of EPCglobal, the agency
managing the emerging standards for RFID.
Atmel tag identification unit serves broad
range of RFID UHF apps
Atmel has announced the availability of its new
UHF RFID identification IC (IDIC) ATA5590, a tag
identification unit, snappily named TAGIDU. Atmel
is aiming to serve a broad spectrum of long-range
RF Identification applications in a frequency
range of 800 MHz to 1 GHz and TAGIDU is suited
for worldwide use. Its low power consumption
enables read/write performance with extended
distances up to 10 meters.
According to Atmel, within the fast growing RFID
market, long-range UHF provides logistic advantages
- especially for supply-chain applications - resulting
in larger volumes of goods to be identified.
The TAGIDU is designed for intelligent passive tags
and labels, addresses the GTAGÔ requirements and is
able to carry EPC data structures. The device also
features simultaneous operation of multiple tags in
the field of one reader antenna (anti-collision
function, up to 460 tags per second), and 1024 bits of
user memory plus 320 bits of system memory.
The device's forward link enables the user to
choose either of two modulation schemes: ASK or the
new DSBM (Double SideBand Modulation, a quasi
modified PSK coding) modulation, thus selecting the
best combination of operation range, bit rate and
secure link mechanism.
"No matter which application, which standard,
which country, or which specific requirements, our
new TAGIDU device fits in almost any application
environment without complex adaptation. The
ATA5590 is not pre-configured before use, all settings
depend on the reader's protocol. Such a flexible and
easy-to-use UHF solution has not been available on
the market up to now. We are also excited to
announce that further AIDU-compatible products are
in preparation," said Michael Fislage, Atmel's RFID
Marketing Manager.
M-Commerce market to grow to $40bn –
boosted by RFID
Large numbers of small payments will make up
the vast majority of sales via mobile phones, with
the average Western European making
approximately 28 transactions a year via the
mobile phone by 2009. The average cost of each
transaction in 2009 in Western Europe is expected
to be worth approximately $3.
Whilst the current m-commerce market is
dominated by digital goods such as mobile
entertainment (ringtones, games, wallpaper, gambling
and so on), other markets such as ticket purchases,
retail, and person to person payments will emerge as
additional application areas, with revenues totalling
$39bn by 2009.
The purchase of tickets (such as car parking and
cinema tickets) using the mobile phone, will dominate
the growth in m-commerce. Mobile users have
started already to show interest in ticketing
particularly in Europe and Japan, while in the retail
sector, initial applications are geared towards vending
machines, but this will see slow growth.
The report also reveals that:
• Ticket purchases will emerge as a major
application area by 2007 with revenues totalling
$39bn by 2009.
• Retail Point of Sale (POS) mobile transactions will
be slow and be worth only $299m by 2009.
• RFID and Infra Red technologies are likely to have
major influence on future developments of mobile
as a payment device.
• The development of global standards will continue
to be slow due to too many industry bodies
concentrating on vested interests.
Report author Marc Ambasna-Jones said: "Mobile
22
commerce is slowly starting to happen, driven by the
demand for ringtones and games but also
increasingly music downloads. Other applications too
will start to emerge, such as ticketing and these are
applications that mobile users can understand as they
start to explore more uses for their increasingly
powerful handsets."
"The key for m-commerce growth is simplicity. Will
it be easier to use than a credit card for example? Can
it ever be more convenient than cash? Ultimately the
success or failure of mobile commerce, either macro
or micro payments, will come down to this."
Incisor directory
Incisor directory of wireless
industry companies
As time goes on, more and more companies join the wireless industry,
becoming part of the global network of companies that are working to take
wireless technology to market.
On an ongoing basis, Incisor includes a listing of companies providing
products and services within the short range RF sector. Beyond the simple
listing, wherever there is an open book icon () alongside the company name,
you will be able to obtain more information and contact details for that
company by clicking on the icon. This provides a link to an expanded profile of
that company.
Incisor continues to be the only continuously published magazine dedicated
to Bluetooth and short range RF technology, and is received at more than 1300
companies across the world, and enjoyed by an estimated readership of
25,000 individuals. To add your company or a profile for your company to this
directory listing, email: [email protected]
TM
Access point/gateway products
BLIP Systems
Clipcomm Inc.
Commil Ltd
lesswire AG
Inventel
Pico Communications
Red-M
Tadlys
Wireless Networks Inc.
Antennas
Fractus
GigaAnt
Cellular handsets
Mitsubishi Electric Telecom Europe
Motorola
Nokia
Panasonic
Philips
Sony Ericsson
Communications Consulting
Alpine Communications
PA Consulting Group
Connectivity/Hardware
products
3Com
Anycom, Inc.
Brain Boxes Ltd
Ensure Technologies
Logitech
MediaSolv.com
Roving Networks
Socket Communications
Tactel AB
TDK Systems
Troy Group
Xircom
ConnectBlue AB
Market research & analysis
ARC Group
Baskerville
Chorleywood Consulting
EMC
IMS Research
Digital pen and paper
technology
Anoto
Hardware and software
design/IP
Adamya Technologies
ARC Wireless Solutions Inc.
Atinav Inc.
CEVA Inc.
Colligo Networks Inc.
Cosmic Co Ltd
DsIT Technologies Ltd
Ericsson Technology Licensing
Company
Impulsesoft
IVT Corporation
LinTech GmbH
Mecel AB
MindTree Consulting
NewLogic Technologies
Penell A/S
RTX Telecom
Stollmann E+V GmbH
Tality Corporation
Teleca
TTPCom Ltd.
WaveLab Engineering AG
Mobile Computing products
Casio
Fujitsu Siemens Computers
IBM
Palm
Samsung Electronics
Sony Information Technology
Europe
Toshiba Information Systems
OEM solutions
SMART Modular
Technologies
Silicon/Semiconductors
Alcatel Microelectronics
Atmel Corporation
Brightcom Technologies, Inc.
Conexant Systems, Inc.
Cambridge Silicon
Radio (CSR)
Infineon Technologies
Intel Corporation
KC Technology Inc
National Semiconductor GmbH
Philips Semiconductors RF Micro Devices
SiGe Semiconductor
Silicon & Software Solutions
Silicon Wave
Headsets
GN Netcom
Plantronics
Industrial products
Baracoda
BlueGiga Technologies
23
Spirea
STMicroelectronics
Texas Instruments, Inc.
XEMICS SA
Zeevo, Inc.
Software solutions &
applications
Atinav Inc.
Bandspeed
Mezoe
Microsage Wireless
Norwood Systems
Open Interface
RegiSoft
Rococo Software
SofBlue Inc.
WIDCOMM
Zi Corporation
Test Equipment
Anritsu
Berkeley Varitronics Systems
Catalyst Enterprises
CETECOM Spain
IAR Systems
Tektronix, Inc.
Tescom Co Ltd
Test houses
7 layers
CETECOM Inc.
Ericsson
ETS DR.GENZ GmbH
Intertek ETL SEMKO
Radio Frequency
Investigation (RFI)
Wireless industry calendar of events
DATE
EVENT
LOCATION
NOTES
LINK
November 8 - 10 2004
WiCon Americas
Santa Clara
Convention Center
-
www.wiconworld.com/americas
November 8 - 11 2004
Telecom Israel 2004
Tel Aviv, Israel
-
www.telecom-israel.com
November 16 - 17 2004
Wi-Fi World Africa 2004
Sandton Convention
Centre, Johannesburg,
Africa
-
http://www.wirelessenterpriseworld.com/2004/wifi%5FZA/
November 17 - 19 2004
ID World
Princess Sofia
Gran Hotel,
Barcelona, Spain
Advanced automatic identification technology
event – e.g. RFID, biometrics, card
technologies, GPS and many others
http://www.idworldonline.com/
December 8 - 9 2004
IP/SOC 2004
Grenoble, France
-
www.us.design-reuse.com/ipsoc2004
March 14 - 16 2005
CTIA Wireless 2005
Ernest N. Morial
Convention Center,
New Orleans, LA, USA
-
www.ctiawireless2004.com/general/
May 24 - 25 2005
Wireless Connectivity World
ExCel, London, UK
-
www.wiconworld.com
Further wireless industry events will be added to the calendar as soon as they are announced. See notes below regarding editorial submissions.
Now access Incisor and other products and services
from Click I.T. Ltd at
TM
apendig
TM
Infusion
TM
Ericsson Technology Licensing AB
PRODUCED/DISTRIBUTED BY:
Click I.T. Ltd
www.click.co.uk
Hampshire Gate, Langley, Rake, Hampshire GU33 7JR, England
Tel: +44 (0)1730 891330 · Fax: +44 (0)1730 894132
Smart Modular Technologies
This newsletter is distributed on a monthly
basis to companies and individuals with an
interest in Bluetooth, WLAN, ZigBee, UWB,
RFID, NFC and other RF technologies.
Should you wish to stop receiving Incisor, then
please contact Click I.T. Ltd using the contact
details shown.
Incisor provides commercial and promotional opportunities in the Bluetooth and short range RF sector.
Sponsorship, advertising and e-marketing enquiries should be directed to Vince Holton (see below)
Editorial contributions are welcomed.
Companies should send press releases to the
editorial contact across.
CONTACT DETAILS:
Individuals are invited to express their views
as to the content and style of Incisor.
Publisher/Editor-in-chief: Vince Holton · [email protected] · Telephone: +44 (0)1730 895614
Features Editor: Paul Rasmussen · [email protected]
News Editor: Manek Dubash · [email protected] · Telephone: +44 7788 923557
Contributing Editor: Mads Ølholm · [email protected] · Telephone: +45 355 57372
Sony Information Technology Europe
The Incisor is produced as an independent
publication by Click I.T. Ltd. Views expressed
within are those of the Incisor editoral and
management representatives.
Staff Writer: Becky Russell · [email protected] · Telephone: +44 (0)1730 894962
24
Bluetooth is a trademark owned by
the Bluetooth SIG, Inc., USA.
Incisor is a trademark of Click I.T. Ltd
© Click I.T. Ltd 2004

Incisor 75 - Incisor.TV

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