FiRa Consortium Unifies Ultra‑Wideband for Secure, Precise Ranging

A new industry alliance, the FiRa Consortium, has been formed to advance ultra‑wideband (UWB) technology for highly accurate fine‑ranging applications. The group will develop standards and certifications that guarantee seamless interoperability among chipsets, devices, and service platforms.

Driven by four founding sponsors, the consortium builds on the IEEE 802.15.4/4z standard, which defines low‑data‑rate wireless connectivity and enhanced ranging. FiRa will create an interoperability specification that expands on the IEEE profile, adds missing mechanisms, and accelerates the deployment of target use cases.

FiRa builds on the IEEE standard to secure interoperability across the ecosystem (Image: FiRa)

The founding sponsors are The ASSA ABLOY Group (including HID Global), NXP Semiconductors, Samsung Electronics, and Bosch. Early adopters include Sony Imaging Products & Solutions Inc., LitePoint, and the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA).

Why UWB matters – and how it has evolved

UWB was once a high‑speed data link that struggled to compete with Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth. Today, its focus has shifted to secure, low‑latency sensing. According to Rafael Sotomayor, Senior VP & GM at NXP Semiconductors, “UWB is no longer a communications technology; it is a sensing platform that delivers accurate spatial information.”

In its current form, UWB uses impulse‑radio pulses (2 ns) defined in IEEE 802.15.4a to measure time‑of‑flight and angle‑of‑arrival. The forthcoming IEEE 802.15.4z adds PHY‑layer security, making UWB uniquely suited for secure fine‑ranging and sensing.

Traditional ranging methods—such as Bluetooth—typically provide only a few‑meter accuracy, which is insufficient for applications that require pinpoint positioning. UWB offers centimeter‑level precision, low latency, and resilience to obstructions, enabling a broad range of services from seamless access control to device‑to‑device interaction.