FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jul 08, 2005
San Diego, CA - July 8, 2005 - General Atomics today announced that it has received certification approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its Spectral Keying® Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio solution. Supported by multiple fundamental patents, General Atomics' Spectral Keying UWB products are the first to combine the simplicity of impulse radio architectures with the spectral flexibility multiple, independent bands. The result is a radio that operates very robustly in high multipath environments, while not interfering with other wireless systems.
General Atomics worked with TDK RF Solutions, a division of TDK Corporation located in Austin, TX and the FCC for over a year to ensure that the Spectral Keying modulation would comply with the UWB rules. "General Atomics Spectral Keying system is the cleanest UWB system we have tested to date," said Robert Sutton, Executive Vice President and General Manager of TDK RF Solutions, "both in-band and out-of-band."
Having demonstrated transmission of error-free streaming video to ranges of 15 meters through walls and with people walking through the link, GA's Spectral Keying modulation is unique amongst UWB chipset offerings. Called Aspen, GA's Spectral Keying chipset fully integrates a UWB transceiver with RF, baseband, and proprietary medium access control functions for streaming media and transparent USB applications on a single multi-chip module (MCM). Supporting data rates up to 80Mbps, Aspen is currently in production qualification testing with its 2nd spin RF and digital silicon.
"As an early entrant in the UWB market, GA welcomes this recognition from the FCC," said Neal Blue, CEO of General Atomics. "This FCC approval, combined with our radio's exceptional demonstrated performance, now means that our customers will be able to immediately move to market, giving them a distinct competitive advantage."
GA's Spectral Keying UWB solutions are designed for cable replacement applications in high multipath environments such as long-range streaming video and audio without requiring expensive memory buffering. Initial consumer applications include wireless streaming between content equipment such as set top boxes and digital video recorders, and display equipment such as plasma/LCD and projectors.
"We recognize that there are several competing UWB solutions in various stages of development in the market", says Jeff Harris, Director of Marketing for General Atomics' Advanced Wireless Group. "But for customers who require exceptional UWB performance today, Aspen is the solution."
About General Atomics
Founded in 1955 as a division of General Dynamics, General Atomics (GA) is now a privately owned technology and product company headquartered in San Diego, California. With over 20 locations worldwide, GA and its affiliated companies develop and manufacture a variety of high technology products for commercial and government applications. The Advanced Wireless Group is part of GA's Photonics Division, leading commercial development of Ultra-Wideband communication and sensing solutions. Started in 2000, General Atomics Photonics is spearheading the drive of UWB technology into commercial, industrial, and governmental applications world-wide.
For More Information Contact:
Business: Jeff.Harris@ga.com, (858) 457-8749
Public Relations: Doug.Fouquet@ga.com, (858) 455-2173