In November 2025, FiRa Consortium announced launching of Release 4.0 Core Certification Program and Release 4.0 of Core Specifications of ultra-wideband (UWB) MAC, PHY. This is notable milestones to complete the work of IEEE 802.15.4z based features inclusion for FiRa defined use cases. It enhances UWB’s capabilities to enable seamless interoperability and unlock new possibilities for precise and secure ranging and positioning in diverse applications.

FiRa introduces three major UWB features in its Core 4.0 Specifications and Certification Program:

With the extended feature set available in FiRa Certification Program 4.0, it enables devices to support the enhanced user experience requiring secure ranging and accurate localization in an interoperable fashion. Devices can select the specific features for the certification with all the features including of Certification Release 3.0 also fully available in Release 4.0.

Conclusion and Next Steps

FiRa 4.0 supports UWB technology targeting industrial areas such as factories, warehouses, and hospitals, where use cases like asset tracking, foot traffic analytics, and shopping behavior analytics are crucial for business operations, while FiRa has consistently pursued collaborations with other consortiums to expand the FiRa UWB ecosystem, with its partnership with the Connectivity Standards Alliance® Aliro in FiRa 4.0 being a notable example that harmonizes standards and certification processes to foster a more cohesive UWB ecosystem within the IoT industry.

Looking ahead, FiRa sees significant potential in adopting the new wave of UWB technology, IEEE 802.15.4ab, which will enhance the performance of UWB ranging with a better link budget, enabling scenarios where individuals can be located even when far away or behind walls and addressing technical challenges in reliable UWB ranging for mobile devices, such as those placed in a back pocket, which can be reliably detected and measured by other UWB devices, thereby accelerating the market adoption of FiRa technology and building on the broader UWB ecosystem.

About FiRa Consortium

The FiRa Consortium is a member-driven organization dedicated to transforming the way we interact with our environment by enabling precise location awareness for people and devices using the secured fine-ranging and positioning capabilities of ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. FiRa does this by driving the development of technical specifications and certification, advocating for effective regulations, and by defining a broad set of use cases for UWB.

About Connectivity Standards Alliance®

The Connectivity Standards Alliance® (CSA) is the foundation and future of the Internet of Things (IoT). Established in 2002, its wide-ranging global membership collaborates to create and evolve universal open standards for the products transforming the way we live, work, and play. With its members’ deep and diverse expertise, robust certification programs, and a full suite of open IoT solutions CSA is leading the movement toward a more intuitive, imaginative, and useful world.

About Car Connectivity Consortium® (CCC)

The Car Connectivity Consortium® (CCC) is a cross-industry organization advancing technologies for smartphone-to-car connectivity solutions. CCC represents the vast majority of the global automotive and smartphone industries, with over 170 member companies. The CCC member companies include smartphone and vehicle manufacturers, automotive tier-1 suppliers, silicon/chip vendors, and security product suppliers representing a comprehensive ecosystem for secure access. Digital Key allows consumers to use their mobile devices, regardless of manufacturer or operating system type, to easily and securely access their vehicles. Based on the IEEE 802.15.4z standard, UWB secure ranging is a core technology that enables Digital Key 3.0 by preventing car theft while preserving full user convenience.