Wireless USB: UK lagging behind US

Belkin's Wireless USB kit will have to be re-engineered for the Euro market

Now that Ofcom has deregulated Ultra-Wideband, everyone - including us - rejoiced that Wireless USB would soon be upon us. But there's one small problem. According to peripheral manufacturer Belkin, not even some manufacturers knew it was going to happen so soon. And that's not all. Belkin says it is having to trudge back to its R&D labs to mod its hardware for the European market.

At yesterday's Playbite event in London, we asked Belkin's sales and marketing director, Robin Falconer, whether he expected Wireless USB to be upon us so soon. "Not as quick," he replied. "The last official notification we had was that all the official reviews and documents would close on 19 August. But bang it went Friday. It's good news - hey, I wish more would happen like that.

"We're waiting for the UK government to tick it, then we can produce."

Wireless USB in the UK?

What's more is that Belkin won't be able to sell the kit it has prepped for the US market on this side of the pond. "In the States at the moment, this runs on 3.1 to 10GHz," said Falconer, holding the company's Wireless USB hub and adapter. "And we thought that's what would be ratified here - that we'd just have to change the power supply and ship. What they've done though, is they've only ratified from 4.2 to 4.8Ghz."

That's not strictly true. Ofcom has, according to our Wireless USB expert Adam Oxford, exempted the full spectrum from 1.6Ghz to 10Ghz from licencing. "That particular part of the spectrum [between 4.2 to 4.8Ghz] has been approved for higher emissions until 2010, by which time its expected better manufacturing will require lower outputs."

But weren't the floodgates supposed to open after Ofcom made its announcement? "That's what everyone, absolutely everyone thought - that's what we thought" said Falconer. "And it's really confusing, because they've said you don't need a licence, but that it must operate within this band."

So when can we expect Belkin's Wireless USB kit to be available here? "At the moment our gurus are telling us, three months and it'll be in store."

Feature: Ultra-Wideband will change your digital home

Also see: Wireless USB: harmony or deathmatch?

Contributor

Dan (Twitter, Google+) is TechRadar's Former Deputy Editor and is now in charge at our sister site T3.com. Covering all things computing, internet and mobile he's a seasoned regular at major tech shows such as CES, IFA and Mobile World Congress. Dan has also been a tech expert for many outlets including BBC Radio 4, 5Live and the World Service, The Sun and ITV News.

Latest in Pro
Cybersecurity
Why OT security needs exposure management to break the cycle of endless patching
Employees sat around together discussing business issues.
AI deregulation: what smart leaders do when the rules go off the rails
Branch office chairs next to a TechRadar-branded badge that reads Big Savings.
This office chair deal wins the Amazon Spring Sale for me and it's so good I don't expect it to last
Saily eSIM by Nord Security
"Much more than just an eSIM service" - I spoke to the CEO of Saily about the future of travel and its impact on secure eSIM technology
NetSuite EVP Evan Goldberg at SuiteConnect London 2025
"It's our job to deliver constant innovation” - NetSuite head on why it wants to be the operating system for your whole business
FlexiSpot office furniture next to a TechRadar-branded badge that reads Big Savings.
Upgrade your home office for under $500 in the Amazon Spring Sale: My top picks and biggest savings
Latest in News
DeepSeek
Deepseek’s new AI is smarter, faster, cheaper, and a real rival to OpenAI's models
Open AI
OpenAI unveiled image generation for 4o – here's everything you need to know about the ChatGPT upgrade
Apple WWDC 2025 announced
Apple just announced WWDC 2025 starts on June 9, and we'll all be watching the opening event
Hornet swings their weapon in mid air
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets new Steam metadata changes, convincing everyone and their mother that the game is finally releasing this year
OpenAI logo
OpenAI just launched a free ChatGPT bible that will help you master the AI chatbot and Sora
An aerial view of an Instavolt Superhub for charging electric vehicles
Forget gas stations – EV charging Superhubs are using solar power to solve the most annoying thing about electric motoring