Some of the world’s biggest tech firms have built rival for Bluetooth AND Wi-Fi – here’s why you should be worried
The first products using Nearlink – a revolutionary next-generation wireless protocol – are hitting the market, with Huawei taking the lead.
The companies Huawei Mate 60MatePad Pro 13.2 and Freebuds Pro are among the first devices to ship with the Nearlink standard, which Huawei champions as a much faster and more effective competitor to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Nearlink, announced at the HDC 2023 event in August, works by taking full advantage of existing wireless technologies, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, according to Huawei Central.
What Nearlink means for the future of mobile networks
The benefits include 60% less power consumption, six times the data transmission speeds and they support approximately ten times the device connections.
The standard is designed to eliminate latency (with a latency of 1/30th of a millisecond) while providing high bandwidth.
Huawei is not only loading its latest devices with Nearlink, but also leading a consortium of 300 technology companies to build the standard – all Chinese except Mediatek and St Gobain – to integrate the standard into their products.
This group includes a wide range of companies from industries such as automotive, AV, home appliances and electronics, and specifically includes Lenovo, Hisense and Honor.
No big American names including Intel, Qualcomm, AMD or Nvidia are included, leading to a very real possibility that the technology could take off in China and leave the rest of the world behind.
However, there are alternatives, including the ultra-wideband technology (UWB). Apple develops for its devices, including the new ones iPhone 15 series.
Although the US has blacklisted Huawei, it remains a major player in the global technology market.
A wireless protocol built and developed only in China by Chinese companies – led by Huawei – could result in a parallel form of networking that is impossible to look at – especially when it comes to shaping how the standard evolves over the course of time improves, and what that means for users and businesses.