“UWB (Ultra-Wideband) is a technology with various advantages, such as precision, scalability, low power, and RF interference avoidance. “Building on this foundation, Qorvo is creating new value across mobility and industry.”

Qorvo, a global leader in RF and power technology, announced at a press conference held at its Seoul office on the 22nd that it is actively pursuing innovation in the industrial and mobility sectors, focusing on its ultra-wideband (UWB) technology.

“UWB provides precise positioning and safety features in various fields such as IoT, connected cars, and smart industries, and will become a core technology in the market in the future,” said Han Wesseling, senior marketing manager for Qorvo APAC, who gave the presentation.

“As IoT spreads, the importance of location information is growing, but there has been a lack of technology to meet this demand,” said Senior Vice President Han Wesling. “UWB is a key technology that enables precise location measurement for IoT.”

He added that it is particularly applicable to various devices such as smartphones, connected cars, and industrial sensors, and that it aligns with two megatrends: connectivity and mobility.

Qorvo has a strong global market presence, shipping approximately 8 billion devices annually and generating approximately $4 billion in revenue over the past 12 months.

UWB technology is rapidly spreading, especially in the automotive sector.

“Safety features such as digital car keys (DCK) and child detection systems (CPD) are expanding their application not only to premium vehicles but also to mid-level vehicles,” said Han Wesling, a senior executive.

BMW offers UWB options across all its models, enabling precise positioning and safety features utilizing multiple anchor points within the car.
<br /> In Europe, CPD function is established as a key factor in determining vehicle safety rating, and UWB can provide various safety functions such as child detection by expanding radar sensing function based on existing DCK technology.

The keynote address was the expanded use of UWB in industrial and enterprise applications.

“This is the largest infrastructure deployment underway since Apple introduced UWB in the iPhone,” said Han Wesling, a senior vice president at NXP. “Global Tier 1 companies like Cisco and Juniper are integrating UWB natively into their Wi-Fi 7 access points.”

UWB can be integrated into existing Wi-Fi infrastructure to provide a variety of functions, including indoor navigation, asset tracking, and occupancy detection.

In particular, indoor navigation has become possible on iPhones with UWB-based indoor positioning through Apple's Nearby Interaction API update, which also has advantages in terms of privacy protection.

Asset tracking is implemented by low-power tags sending out signals periodically, which are then received by the infrastructure to calculate the location.

The occupancy detection function uses UWB as a radar to detect the presence of people, and can determine whether a meeting room or other location is occupied without tags or smartphones.

The UWB ecosystem is expanding beyond simple location tracking to include new services, with major companies like Apple and Samsung using smart tags to strengthen brand loyalty.

Additionally, various standards such as FIRA, CCC, and Omlox are being integrated, accelerating the transition from existing proprietary systems to standardized solutions.

“The UWB-based location service market is growing at an annual rate of 25-30%, driven by smartphones and infrastructure,” said Senior Wesling.“Thanks to the proliferation of Qorvo, we are providing solutions to more than 40 industries through various generations of chipsets and modules,” he said.

Kobo continues to evolve its technology, launching the DW1000 chip in 2014, the DW3000 in 2019, and the latest SOC-based QM3582 and QPG6200 in 2025.

These products are being applied to various industries through development kits and modules, and interoperability with standard infrastructure is also being strengthened.