The FCC Is Modernizing UWB Rules. Why It Matters for the Next Wave of Innovation

By Navot Goren

September 14, 2026

Ultra-Wideband is evolving beyond its early role in digital keys, trackers and proximity-based applications.

Last week, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced plans for the first comprehensive modernization of its UWB rules since they were adopted in 2002. The proposal reflects how much the technology and its applications have changed over the past two decades.

The FCC points specifically to UWB‘s high data rates, precise location capabilities and ability to coexist with other wireless services, while highlighting emerging applications including AI-enabled sensing, advanced ranging and modern access-control systems. It is also proposing changes intended to reduce compliance burdens and create new opportunities for innovation.

For the UWB industry, the timing is significant because regulation, standards and technology are increasingly moving in the same direction.

UWB Is Moving Into New Applications

We are already seeing applications emerge that would have been difficult to anticipate when the original rules were written.

Earlier this year, for example, the FCC granted Tesla a waiver allowing UWB to be used with a ground-level wireless charging pad that can be located outdoors. Tesla’s system uses UWB between the vehicle and charging pad to precisely position the vehicle before wireless charging begins. Existing rules restricted this type of UWB device from operating as fixed outdoor infrastructure, requiring Tesla to seek a waiver.

It’s a good illustration of where UWB is heading. Precise ranging is becoming an enabling technology for autonomous systems that need to understand exactly where they are in relation to the physical world.

The FCC’s new proposal goes considerably further. Among the changes under consideration is a new UWB device category intended to support emerging applications such as AI-enabled sensing, advanced ranging and modern access-control systems.

Technology and Spectrum Are Evolving Too

IEEE 802.15.4ab is another important part of this evolution. Ceva’s next-generation Ceva-Waves UWB architecture supports the new standard, delivering advanced ranging performance in challenging Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) environments and at extended range, while maintaining low-power operation and resilience to interference. It also supports UWB radar sensing and new channels introduced with the latest generation of the standard.

At the same time, the wireless spectrum around UWB is becoming more crowded.

The upper mid-band spectrum known as FR3, spanning 7.125 to 24.25 GHz, is emerging as important spectrum for 6G because it offers an attractive balance between coverage and capacity. Parts of this range overlap spectrum used by UWB.

That creates an important coexistence challenge. UWB operates at extremely low transmit power, while cellular networks operate at much higher power. If high-power cellular transmissions are introduced into frequencies used by UWB, they can potentially overwhelm nearby UWB signals. The UWB industry therefore needs a regulatory framework that allows UWB innovation to continue while the spectrum landscape around it evolves.

The FCC’s willingness to revisit the rules governing UWB is therefore particularly timely.

Making UWB Easier to Integrate

Better technology and a supportive regulatory environment are only part of the equation. UWB also needs to be easier for semiconductor and OEM companies to deploy.

That’s why Ceva’s announcement Last week with LG Electronics is particularly timely.

Ceva and LG are combining Ceva-Waves UWB baseband IP and software with UWB RF technology developed by LG’s SoC Center. LG’s RF supports TSMC’s 22nm process, giving customers a silicon-ready foundation for integrating UWB into their SoCs. A major U.S. semiconductor company is already adopting the combined solution.

For customers, the benefit is practical: access to proven RF, baseband and software technologies can reduce engineering effort and integration risk while allowing their teams to focus on differentiating their own products.

Explore Ceva IP:

• Low Power Ultra-wideband (UWB) IP

The Next Chapter for UWB

ABI Research expects UWB device shipments to grow from 597 million in 2026 to nearly 1.18 billion by 2030. But the bigger story is not simply more UWB devices. It is the expanding range of things those devices will be able to do.

As I discussed previously in the context of UWB and 6G, wireless systems are evolving beyond connectivity alone. Increasingly, they will also understand proximity, motion, location and their physical surroundings.

The Tesla example shows what that can mean in practice. IEEE 802.15.4ab is extending the capabilities of the technology. The FCC is now looking at how regulations can evolve alongside it. And Ceva’s collaboration with LG is making advanced UWB easier for semiconductor and OEM companies to implement.

At Ceva, we can support customers with the UWB IP components they need or provide a more integrated foundation spanning RF, baseband and software.

For companies developing the next generation of UWB-enabled products, the opportunity is expanding rapidly. Our job is to give them the technology and flexibility to turn that opportunity into products.

Contact our experts