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In anticipation of launching the industry's first commercial ultra-wideband product under the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, XtremeSpectrum has completed a $12 million round of venture funding from an expanded investor base representing both new and existing investors. The Vienna, Va.-based company, which develops wireless system semiconductor solutions for the emerging consumer/home networking market, anticipates shipping its initial ultra-wideband product within the next quarter.

Ultra-wideband is a wireless technology that transmits an extremely low power signal over a wide swath of radio spectrum. Unlike conventional radio systems that operate within a relatively narrow bandwidth (Bluetooth, 802.11b, etc.), ultra-wideband operates across a wide range of frequency spectrum by transmitting a series of very narrow and low power pulses.

The combination of broader spectrum, lower power and pulsed data means that ultra-wideband causes less interference than conventional narrowband radio solutions, and delivers wire-like performance in an indoor wireless environment. This makes ultra-wideband technology ideal for consumer electronics applications such as camcorders, laptops, DVDs and digital cameras.

"Ultra-wideband holds tremendous promise as a wireless technology for consumer connectivity in the residential market," said Carl Panasik of Texas Instrument's Wireless Terminals Business Unit. "Having been an early investor with XtremeSpectrum, we are very encouraged by the FCC's recent approval and believe XtremeSpectrum's bi-phase modulated ultra-wideband product will enable wireless connectivity in a host of applications."

In February, the FCC unanimously approved rules for the unlicensed use of ultra-wideband technology in commercial applications. On April 22, the FCC issued the First Report & Order, which constitutes formal approval of unlicensed spectrum between 3.1 GHz and 10.6 GHz for ultra-wideband technology.

XtremeSpectrum's patent-pending, ultra-wideband digital radio will allow multimedia-enabled devices to send and receive multiple streams of digital video, audio and data wirelessly, all at "extremely low price points" and power consumption levels. XtremeSpectrum will focus on customers in the OEM consumer electronic, OEM PC, PC-peripheral manufacturing, and wireless networking ODM/OEM spaces.

"As the interest in ultra-wideband continues to escalate, we are preparing for our first U.S. product launch. This round of funding will enable us to complete that launch and continue to expand our customer support organization as we begin shipping product for consumer electronics applications," said Martin Rofheart, CEO of XtremeSpectrum.

New investors in this third round of funding include POD Holding, a large Scandinavian venture fund. All previous investors, including Cisco Systems; Motorola, Inc.; Alliance Technology Ventures; Texas Instruments' venture capital initiative, Granite Ventures; and Novak Biddle Venture Partners, also participated in this round at pro-rata levels or higher.