The premise behind the new ULE Certification Program is to ensure interoperability between the ever-increasing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Launched by The Ultra Low Energy (ULE) Alliance, the program supports OEMs developing IoT devices based on ULE digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) technology. Devices implementing the architecture feature lower power consumption, low latency, and long range while operating at a moderate data rate.
DECT, a universal standard that originated in Europe, began life as a solution for cordless-phone system development. The latest variant, DECT ULE, operates at 1.9 GHz (with a net bit rate of 32 kb/s) to ease congestion and suffer less interference with similar technologies such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Its physical layer uses frequency-division multiple access (FDMA), time-division multiple access (TDMA), and time-division duplex (TDD) technologies.
The ULE Certification Program helps carriers, retailers, and end users by providing a set of standards for wireless IoT devices, thus ensuring interoperability across different manufacturers’ devices. The Certification Handbook, a set of documents that detail the program’s regulations and processes, can be accessed through the Alliance’s website. Over 60 companies and organizations are members of the Alliance, including DECT Forum, Dialog Semiconductor, DSP Group, Gigaset, Lantiq, and VTech Communications.
