Xiaomi, DENSO, Huf Group, Hyundai, MinebeaMitsumi, and Tile Support the Growth of the FiRa Consortium

BEAVERTON, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The FiRa^™ Consortium, a catalyst for bringing leading innovators together to drive UWB expansion forward, today announced growth of its member network. Xiaomi, joining as a Contributor member, is the world’s fourth largest smartphone brand and has the world’s largest consumer IoT platform. Xiaomi is the second of the top five global handset manufacturers to join the FiRa Consortium, further demonstrating the important role UWB-enabled handsets will play in the UWB ecosystem.

New Associate members, DENSO, Huf Group, Hyundai, MinebeaMitsumi, and Tile support the coalition by advocating for consumer-centric, FiRa Certified UWB products. Other new members include deveritec GmbH, Kunchen Technology, and NPP Itelma.

These prestigious new members join original members including ASSA ABLOY / HID Global, Bosch, LitePoint, NXP, Samsung, Sony, and Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA).

“We are pleased to welcome nine (9) new members to the FiRa Consortium. These companies represent impactful stakeholders offering a variety of expertise, perspective, and market insights,” says Charlie Zhang, Chair of the FiRa Consortium and VP Engineering, Samsung Electronics. “Through collaboration with a diverse group of industry leaders, we can define an interoperability standard that will ultimately allow for new levels of seamless user experiences based on UWB fine-ranging technology.”

The FiRa Consortium members noted early on that standardization is key to user acceptance and widely deployed ecosystems based on UWB technology. Expanding on this, Huf Group notes that “any company planning to provide or develop UWB based services is required to join global standardization efforts – FiRa provides this opportunity.”

Since announcing formation of the FiRa Consortium in August, members have joined together to outline requirements for new UWB-enabled use cases, attend trade events to educate users about UWB technology, develop the PHY/MAC Technical Requirements Specification, prepare and issue a RFP to fulfill the position of Certification Program Manager / Lab Program Manager to move the FiRa Certified program forward, and develop a FiRa Certified logo that will be available to members to distinguish their interoperable products from other UWB-enabled products on the market.

In speaking with representatives of the new member companies, each agrees that UWB technology has significant market potential. Singu Kim, Head of Team, Electronics Advanced Development Team, with Hyundai Motor Group Automotive R&D Division says that “As ultra-wideband technologies enable a very broad set of applications, there is a need to develop compelling use cases and ensure seamless interoperability. The FiRa Consortium is the best way to achieve this goal.”

DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, sees similar opportunities. “UWB technology is a gateway to a vast array of new mobility solutions,” said Ron Schubert, director of the Body Controls Group at DENSO. “We’re already doing groundbreaking work in UWB-related areas like phone-as-a-key technology, but joining the FiRa Consortium will help us collaborate better across the industry and advance similar applications in user interfaces that increase security and safety for all.”

With deveritec GmbH, Kunchen Technology, LitePoint, MinebeaMitsumi, NTT Itelma and the TTA being part of the FiRa Consortium, the organization has highly experienced engineering partners and integrators onboard to master the technical challenges that come along with establishing a new technology standard.

Additional FiRa Consortium Member Quotes

Associate Member Quotes

• “Huf is a leading automotive specialist for secure access and authorization systems,” says Florian Gräf, Chief Strategy Officer & Member of Huf Group Management. “As ultra-wideband is the emerging technology to enable new services and to improve user experience and security, Huf is engaged in FiRa to create a holistic ecosystem around this cutting-edge technology.”
• Singu Kim, Head of Team, Electronics Advanced Development Team, Hyundai Motor Group Automotive R&D Division, says that “UWB can be used to provide a very precise distance between the vehicle and everything associated with convenience and safety.”
• “Tile continues to seek out the latest, most innovative technologies, closely aligning with those that best serve to strengthen our network of Tile users. We look forward to partnering with the FiRa Consortium to evaluate and promote the promise UWB technology brings to location-based services,” says Steve Klinkner, VP of Engineering, Tile.

Adopter Member Quotes

• Christoph Gulich, Managing Director with deveritec GmbH says that “Deveritec has invested significant resources to develop and expand the use of UWB technology for various use cases. As a design house specialized on indoor infrastructure positioning, the FiRa Consortium gives us the possibility to develop IoT devices that interact seamlessly with next generation smartphone technology.”
• Kunchen Technology is focusing on UWB related research and business development. Dr. Zhu Xiaozhang, the founder and VP technical, says that “Kunchen Technology is joining this thriving UWB ecosystem to cooperate with valuable partners, on technology and market growth. Kunchen is willing to contribute to FiRa’s development, keeping close to the development of cutting-edge technologies and standards.”

About FiRa Consortium

Headquartered in Beaverton, OR, the FiRa Consortium is a member-driven organization dedicated to the development and widespread adoption of seamless user experiences using the secured fine ranging and positioning capabilities of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technologies. To learn more about the FiRa Consortium, visit www.firaconsortium.org.

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Contacts

Sophie Mausolf

FiRa Consortium

Marketing Working Group Co-Chair

Telephone: +49 40 5613 2722

Email: press@firaconsortium.org

Deb Spitler

FiRa Consortium

Marketing Working Group Co-Chair

Telephone: +1 949 439 5908

Email: press@firaconsortium.org