Cambridge Consultants wins development role in major UWB communications project

Cambridge Consultants has been chosen as a technology provider to ITI Techmedia's £6.7million project focused on ultra-wideband communications technology. The project is aimed at reducing the cables within the home.

This is the third R&D programme from ITI Techmedia - the organisation that develops market-driven intellectual property for the benefit of the Scottish economy. Analysis undertaken by ITI Techmedia indicates that ultra-wideband (UWB) communications will be a source of major market opportunity in the next 3-10 years. It is estimated that the global UWB market for consumer and computing applications could exceed $1.2bn by 2010.

UWB offers very high-bandwidth communications that has the potential to free equipment such as DVD players, audio speakers, high definition TVs, PCs and printers - from the need to be connected by wires to record, play or exchange data.

In conjunction with two other major subcontractors - TES Electronic Solutions and Elonics - Cambridge Consultants, acting as the project’s lead technical authority, will work on UWB system definition, hardware, software and mesh networking technology, targeted at wireless enabling equipment such as PCs and other consumer electronic devices.

Cambridge Consultants has a long track record of developing integrated circuits (ICs) for wireless applications. Among its achievements are the spin-out of CSR who make the world's leading single-chip Bluetooth solution, and the sale to Ember of single-chip IP technology targeted at the emerging 802.15.4/ZigBee wireless networking market. The company also has over 20 years’ experience of work in UWB technology.

"UWB's very high data rate has the potential to increase an already-booming wireless marketplace" says Richard Traherne of Cambridge Consultants. "We're delighted to have won a role in this ambitious project".

David Creed, CEO of ITI Techmedia commented, "Our focus – developing an end-to-end system enabling wireless interconnection and networking of PC and consumer devices – will deliver innovative IP appropriate to the realisation of exciting applications and services. We believe the R&D investment in this programme holds considerable potential to deliver benefit to Scotland."

ITI Techmedia's R&D programme is expected to last around 24 months.

Notes for editors:

Cambridge Consultants has for over 40 years enabled its clients to turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies. With a team of over 200 engineers, scientists and consultants, in offices in Cambridge (UK) and Boston (USA), we are able to offer solutions across a diverse range of industries including healthcare, industrial and consumer products, automotive, transport, energy and wireless communications.

ITI Techmedia is a member-based organisation that identifies, develops and manages commercially driven Intellectual Property for the benefit of Scotland. It acts as a catalyst to create world-class technology in the digital media and communication sectors. Working with its Members and the technology community, ITI Techmedia commissions and funds R&D to the point of commercial viability.

Further information is available on the website: www.ititechmedia.com

TES Electronic Solutions Ltd is the Scottish subsidiary of worldwide contract design and manufacturing company, TES, headquartered in Paris. Originally launched as a subsidiary of Thales in 2002, TES, based in Newbridge, has a highly experienced research team with a strong track record of developing innovative wireless solutions.

Further information is available on the website: www.thales-ess.com

Elonics is an independent semiconductor design consultancy, founded in 2003 and based in Livingston. It specialises in the physical layers of communications systems, especially high frequency and low power mixed-signal applications, for use in a range of products from portable consumer devices to computer servers and optical networks.

Further information is available on the website: www.elonics.com