Ultra‑wideband (UWB) has moved from niche military radar to the mainstream of enterprise real‑time location systems (RTLS). Known for its exceptional accuracy in distance measurement and positioning, UWB technology is revolutionizing sectors from logistics to healthcare. In 2025, manufacturers need to locate critical tools and assets, logistics operators must orchestrate hundreds of forklifts safely, and hospitals demand bed‑level visibility without radio interference. UWB’s nanosecond pulses meet those accuracy and reliability requirements through distance‑bounding encryption.
In this article, we examine the fundamental features of UWB technology, delve into its unique advantages over traditional wireless technologies, and highlight compelling real-world applications where UWB is making a significant impact.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Ultra-Wideband technology delivers indoor positioning accuracy of 10–30 cm—far sharper than Bluetooth, Wi-Fi RTT, or RFID can achieve.
- Devices exchange ultra-short radio bursts across a wide slice of the spectrum, allowing the system to measure true time-of-flight with sub-nanosecond resolution.
- The wide bandwidth shrugs off interference, reflections, and line-of-sight obstructions, so coordinates stay stable even in metal-heavy factories or busy hospitals.
- Efficient duty-cycling keeps tags and badges running for months, making the technology practical for mobile and IoT devices.
- Logistics, healthcare, automotive, and smart-building projects use UWB for pallet tracking, patient flow, digital car keys, and secure access control.
- Demand for centimetre-accurate, secure real-time location is accelerating adoption across sectors worldwide.
WHAT IS UWB?
Ultra‑wideband is a pulse‑based radio technology operating in the 3.1–10.6 GHz band with a channel width > 500 MHz. Instead of continuous narrowband signals, it sends very brief pulses, enabling precise time-of-flight (ToF) distance calculations.
By timing each pulse as it travels from the transmitter to the receiver, UWB pinpoints separation to within 10–30 cm, supporting accurate indoor positioning and real-time asset tracking. Additionally, UWB is highly resistant to signal interference and multipath effects, where signals bounce off surfaces, making it exceptionally reliable in complex environments such as factories, hospitals, warehouses, and smart buildings. Its low energy consumption also makes UWB perfect for integration into mobile devices, wearables, and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.
ULTRA WIDE-BAND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Bandwidth | ≥500 MHz |
| Frequency band | 3.1–10.6 GHz (regional variants) |
| Typical TX power | −41.3 dBm/MHz (FCC limit) |
| Positioning accuracy | ±10 cm indoors |
| Update rate | Up to 200 Hz |
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MARKET OUTLOOK 2025–2028
The positioning landscape for UWB is expanding rapidly. Grand View Research projects in its “Ultra‑Wideband Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report, 2024–2030” that worldwide revenue from UWB hardware, software and services will grow at an 18.9 % CAGR, rising from ≈ US $2.0 billion in 2025 to ≈ US $3.3 billion by 2028.
REGULATORY & STANDARDS MOMENTUM
Ultra‑wideband’s distance‑bounding counters relay attacks. FiRa Certification 2.0 (Jan 2025) now tests secure‑ranging profiles essential for automotive digital keys and enterprise compliance. ETSI’s removal of duty‑cycle limits (2024) in Europe opens additional spectrum for high‑duty operation indoors.
HOW DOES UWB TRACKING AND POSITIONING WORK?
When implementing UWB location tracking into the enterprise infrastructure, each tracked asset is equipped with a special tag that has a built-in or attached accumulator. In its work, the tag takes billions of radio impulses that are emitted at an interval of a nanosecond in a wide frequency range. Receivers, or transponders, detect these signals and turn them into information, which makes it possible to define the object’s location.
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WHAT BUSINESS TASKS CAN UWB TECHNOLOGY SOLVE?
Ultra Wide-band is a protocol of wireless communication that makes use of electromagnetic emission at high frequencies. The technology is based on a wide bandwidth (500 MHz) that sometimes exceeds the minimal bandwidth required for data transmission over short and long distances. This feature enables the use of UWB in geolocation systems and solving a wide range of tasks to increase the efficiency of business processes.
Asset tracking for various spheres of activity
Companies can widely use UWB for tracking assets. Monitoring trolleys in stores, equipment at the production premises, and inventories are much easier with the help of UWB tracking. In sports, the system makes it possible to monitor players on the field; in museums or exhibitions, it provides complete control over the exhibition. This protocol can increase the safety of the enterprise, prevent theft, and ensure the preservation of movable property.
Indoor navigation
UWB helps companies enhance the quality of their service. After implementing the technology into the company’s infrastructure, users can access indoor navigation with the option to create interactive maps of the building within the mobile application. The Ultra Wideband positioning technology allows:
- Building routes to the points of interest.
- Locating quickly the necessary rooms, goods, and services.
- Sending notifications and tips based on the location.
- Providing useful content in real-time.
Monitoring the movement of visitors/ employees
The system enables the company to continuously monitor its employees' work and track their activity, including arrival times, lateness, and movements within the premises. Thanks to real-time tracking, management can coordinate employees’ actions and make timely adjustments to daily tasks. Moreover, beacons can help monitor visitor movements, analyze traffic, and better understand clients’ behavior, which plays a crucial role in developing an effective marketing strategy.
Additionally, the system plays a vital role in ensuring the safety of lone workers by monitoring their location and sending alerts if they enter restricted areas or stop moving unexpectedly.
Smart home
The UWB technology is an ideal tool for implementing the “smart home” system. The Ultra Wideband sensor constantly monitors the movements of visitors and makes the equipment perform specific actions, for example:
- Switch on\off the light in the room for energy saving.
- Regulate the volume of the speakers.
- Manage climate control.
- Maintain the ventilation mode.
- Activate the alarm system, etc.
Marketing and advertising opportunities for retail and shopping centers
While using Ultra-Wideband, shopping centers and shops can provide visitors with the relevant information on goods. The platform sends customers greetings, advertisements, notifications on sales, and promotional actions. Thanks to this technology, stores get an additional marketing channel and can promote the brand or separate stock items more quickly.
Digitization of production and logistics enterprises
At production enterprises specializing in goods production, Ultra-Wideband can become an integral component of digitization in logistics and production. The system enables the quick and easy digitization of workshops, warehouses, and technological processes, contributing to increased productivity and optimized business processes.
WHY COMPANIES USE UWB
| Operational Challenge | UWB Solution | ROI Snapshot |
|---|---|---|
| Mis-placed tools extending change-over time |
±10 cm location alarms; eKanban triggers automatically |
≤6 months downtime reduction |
| Forklift / AGV collisions | Vehicle tags + geofenced slowdown/stop zones | 30 % drop in incidents |
| Lift-truck search for pallets | Real-time pallet positions sync to WMS | 3× faster cycle counts |
| Lost clinical equipment | Bed-level visibility of pumps, monitors | +20 % asset utilization |
WAYS OF LOCATION CALCULATIONS FOR UWB POSITIONINGБ
While defining the location, the system uses very short signals traveling at the speed of light. Their arrival time is calculated in a wide bandwidth so that positioning accuracy can be from 10 to 30 sm. Depending on the company’s needs UWB tracking can be used with such methods of calculation as AoA, TDoA, TWR, or PDoA.
TDoA
- Advantages: the most energy-efficient method
- Working principle: At preset intervals, the sensor emits signals received by the tags at different times, depending on the distance. The location of the sensor is calculated based on the time difference between the signals. TDoA is often called hyperbolic positioning. Since the method makes calculations by the time of signal arrival, it requires clear synchronization between the base stations.
- Sphere of application: computing the position of a great number of objects in real-time.
PDoA
- Advantages: can be used with the limited infrastructure
- Working principle: To determine the location, the sensor measures the phase difference between the signals from the receiving antennas. The impulse to the antenna located farther from the receiving device comes with a delay, which allows for calculating the location of the tracked object. The signal angle is determined relative to the anchor point.
- Sphere of application: warehouses and other places with many assets.
TWR
- Advantages: positioning stability, high accuracy.
- Working principle: Tags send out short impulses that are detected by receivers. The distance is calculated by the time spent by the signals from the moment of sending to the moment of receiving. SDS-TWR is considered a more advanced method that applies double measurement successively in two different directions.
- Sphere of application: defining the location of equipment.
AoA
- Advantages: high accuracy within the limited infrastructure.
- Working principle: While using AoA, moving objects send out signals that are detected by tracking sensors. Receivers get these impulses and allow them to calculate the location by the Angle of Arrival and the direction of the tag. The signal level is also taken into account in the calculation.
- Sphere of application: defining the location of objects in real-time.
| Method | Advantages | Typical Use-Case |
|---|---|---|
| TDoA | Energy-efficient, multi-tag | Large asset fleets in logistics hubs |
| PDoA | Limited infrastructure | Warehouse racks with few anchors |
| TWR/SDS-TWR | High robustness | Equipment maintenance tracking |
| AoA | High accuracy with fewer anchors | Dense industrial lines |
ULTRA WIDEBAND TECHNOLOGY VS OTHER TECHNOLOGIES
UWB indoor positioning systems do not concede to other radio-frequency technologies in terms of advantages and universality of application. However, the system has some considerable differences, the main one being the level of positioning accuracy and a wide frequency spectrum. High accuracy enables the use of UWB software in areas where real-time localization of objects is critical. Let’s consider other differences between ultra-wideband, Wi-Fi, and iBeacon.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is considered one of the most widely used radio-frequency technologies for defining object location. But it is still significantly inferior to UWB in terms of UWB accuracy. Ultra-wideband technology locates objects with an accuracy of up to 10-30 cm, while Wi-Fi provides results within the range of 3-5 m.
Unlike Wi-Fi, UWB is not susceptible to signal interference and offers a high level of flexibility. It requires less energy, which reduces exploitation costs. However, the Wi-Fi-based platform can be realized using existing infrastructure, whereas the UWB implementation requires the purchase of additional equipment.
For a more detailed comparison of Wi-Fi and UWB, please visit: https://navigine.com/blog/uwb-vs-wifi/.
iBeacon
iBeacon and UWB share many similarities. Both systems are characterized by low energy consumption, high accuracy, and reliability in tracking objects. But at the same time, they have some differences that should be considered while organizing RTLS. For example, iBeacon has a smaller range and slower data transmission speed, while UWB is more precise in comparison to Bluetooth.
As mentioned above, indoor positioning using UWB allows detecting objects with an accuracy of up to 30 cm, while iBeacon locates them within 1-5 m. The reason is that the ultra-wideband technology is used for calculating the ToF method that positions objects by the time of signal flight. Bluetooth® defines location using the RSSI method, which carries calculations by distance and can’t ensure the necessary level of accuracy.
ADVANTAGES OF THE ULTRA WIDEBAND TECHNOLOGY
At present, Ultra Wide-band technology has high prospects for development. It is expected to be widely adopted in the near future in the mass market and help in realizing numerous business solutions. It is caused by the variety of advantages that distinguish this system from similar ones:
- absence of restrictions in HF-spectrum availability;
- noise immunity;
- possibility of simultaneous support of hundreds of channels;
- wide range of scalability by speed;
- simultaneous performance as a global, local, and personal network;
- global compatibility of devices that use the radio-frequency spectrum;
- high data protection due to the signal power at the noise level;
- spectral flexibility;
- high-accuracy Ultra Wideband localization and object tracking;
- possibility of creating an individual communication network that will peacefully coexist with other Wi-Fi technologies in the office.
Technology has not only advantages but also some disadvantages. Because of the wideband and high power, Ultra Wide-band signals can impede already existing systems and communication lines. Ultra Wide Band technology differs in short signal duration. Such signals can be detected by a matched filter or autocorrelation device but in this situation, the reception can be difficult to synchronize.
SPHERES OF ULTRA-WIDEBAND TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION
Every year Ultra Wide-band positioning is becoming more and more sought-after among business representatives. The technology was previously applied only at military sites, but now it is utilized in various industries, including healthcare, trading, culture, and logistics.
Retail and shopping centers
In trading, UWB ensures the transparency of goods and equipment location. It helps to organize convenient navigation around the store, build interactive maps with point-of-interest visualization, and carry out staff monitoring in real-time. Thanks to this system, retailers can easily improve staff performance and significantly increase customer loyalty to the given place.
Healthcare
Since UWB signals do not interact with each other and other radio frequency components, the technology can be successfully applied for creating noise-resistant solutions. Thus, in healthcare, it is used for tracking ventilators or X-ray equipment and for a quick search and localization of any other medical assets (RTLS hospital tracking), including wheelchairs or costly machines.
Logistics and warehousing
The implementation of the UWB system into the warehouse infrastructure enables more effective management of business processes. It is of high priority in tracking goods, stock, or vehicles, especially in cases when it’s necessary to know the exact location of assets. Companies can use the transport and forklift tracking system, to adjust everyday tasks, which ensures effective business process optimization and helps to respond immediately to emergencies.
Industry
UWB tracking is widely used in the sphere of industry. Implemented into the factory infrastructure, the system performs several functions:
- building interactive maps with access zones;
- people and asset visualization on the map;
- tracking objects in real-time;
- creating optimal routes for vehicles;
- warning on a possible collision with a vehicle or an employee;
- equipment downtime control;
- tracking staff contacts for complying with regulatory requirements and increasing labor safety.
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Transport
The system can become an effective solution in navigation and positioning on the territory of airports or railway stations. It helps passengers create maps of the transport hub, build routes to the points of interest, and easily orient themselves in the field. Placing tags on the equipment allows management to control its movement and define the exact location of self-propelled passenger steps, haulers, and platform buses. Moreover, the technology ensures the constant tracking of people's movements and helps avoid congestion in crowded areas.
Museums and events
Ultra Wideband positioning can be used in museums for creating an intellectual mobile guide. Tags, attached to the exhibits, help visitors quickly find the necessary exhibits. While using the platform, there is a possibility to monitor the flows of people at exhibitions and various events. It helps to evaluate the success of the current event and undertake effective planning of new ones. Visitor tracking makes it possible to increase safety and security, timely detect ‘problem’ areas, and optimize the arrangement of exhibits, taking into account people’s interests.
UWB technology is transforming the future of precise indoor positioning and secure wireless communication. With its extreme accuracy, low power consumption, and resilience to interference, UWB will be an important enabler for sectors including logistics, healthcare, automotive, and smart buildings.
Navigine offers advanced indoor positioning solutions powered with UWB technology that help businesses achieve high-precision tracking, increase operational efficiency, and develop smarter, safer environments. Partnering with Navigine allows the seamless integration of cutting-edge UWB solutions, unlocking further opportunities for innovation and growth for the companies.
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