The electronic revolution continues to surge us forward. Moores Law forecasted the doubling of the number of transistors on a chip at the same cost every 18-24 months, which roughly translates to the doubling of the processing power for the same cost every 18-24 months. This has held true, primarily for digital circuits, leading to the explosive growth of computing.
Wireless radios consist largely of analog components, which have been more difficult to implement in integrated circuits (ICs). Strong investment and development efforts over the past decade, have resulted in increasingly complex devices (like radios) now can be implemented cost effectively and reliably on ICs. The result? A cost-effective blend of computing and communications capabilities, at low cost, into very small and efficient packages.
This computing-communication combination inherently creates new business opportunities by making existing products cheaper and more efficient, and by enabling new products and services. Familiar examples of where cables are being replaced by wireless transmissions include WiFi, wireless networking between computers or even such mundane tasks as remote controls for your TV or garage door. Security and monitoring systems, now driven by wireless sensors or cameras, avoid the huge expense of cabling windows, doors, rooms, buildings and campuses. Granted that cable replacement applications are not always innovative or particularly exciting but they do represent a very large business opportunity!
Some of the newer innovations using wireless technologies include RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), WSN (Wireless Sensor Networks) and NFC (Near Field Communication), to introduce a few new TFLAs (Three and Four Letter Acronyms).
Wireless technology is advancing by leaps and bounds - and there is much more to come. Picture courtesy of The Economist
RFID is everywhere
RFID has already made its way into different kinds of supply chain and asset management applications, and it has become a defined market by itself. Each one of us has come in contact with a RFID tag at some point in the last few years, whether we recognized it or not. RFID tags are found on upscale consumer goods (for tracking and theft prevention); on many passports; in payment cards for trains and highway tolls; on library books; even implanted in pets or people for ID purposes, to name just a few.
Collecting data
Wireless Sensor Networks consists of autonomous sensor units that can communicate with each other, or at minimum relay communications forward to a gateway or computer. They are used to monitor, track or control things in many different applications. They play a key role in agriculture by monitoring temperature, irrigation, and other important parameters. In construction, WSNs monitor the structural health of buildings or bridges, or seismic activity that might affect these structures. WSNs even can be deployed to monitor movement, light, sound, and vibration for various civil and military applications. WSNs have made it possible, at relatively low cost, to monitor and hence optimize processes, ultimately resulting in economic gain.
Contactless transactions
NFC is a short-range wireless technology mainly targeted at extending the use of mobile phones in new applications. Converting the average consumer™s mobile phone into an electronic wallet is one goal high on the agenda of companies like Visa, with NFC at its core. When the phone comes in close proximity to a specialized NFC reader, and following the entry of a PIN or other authorization, a payment or transaction is initiated, verified and cleared. Or consider NFC for other uses, such as the secure entry key to buildings and offices, or to start your car. The business opportunities for RFID, WSN and NFC are of course not restricted to the actual devices themselves, but to the complete systems and services they enable. The above is just a glimpse of some of the exciting opportunities ahead in the wireless world.
When everything connects
For those who want to read a bit more on the state of the wireless revolution, we found the special report on Wireless in The Economist issue April 28th, 2007 very interesting and thought provoking. See full article at http://www.economist.com/printedition/index.cfm?d=20070428
Artturi Tarjanne
General Partner
Nexit Ventures
artturi.tarjanne@nexitventures.com
Michel Wendell
General Partner
Nexit Ventures
michel.wendell@nexitventures.com
