Wireless USB Leader WiQuest Closes Door...

Credit crunch seems to have claimed its first victim in the UWB sector. Last Friday, WiQuest - the supposedly the leader in UWB silicon shipments - closed door after venture capitalists lost interest in the company that bets big on Certified Wireless USB. It looks as if WiQuest just ran out of cash and didn't receive another round of funding.

Regardless, prospect may look bad for Wireless USB (and perhaps the 120 people laid off from WiQuest), but the UWB market is probably too small at the moment. This however opens up new opportunities for Wisair, Alereon and RealTek all have similar reference designs to pick up where WiQuest has left off. Tier-one customers like Dell, Lenovo, Belkin, D-link, Imation and Kensington are now up for grabs. We wonder when Intel will finally step in and give WUSB a real boost by integrating it into the southbridge.