Now that those groups have adopted the system to use with their specifications, WiMedia is no longer necessary, Wood said. Having a single organization to finalize the UWB specification helped to ensure one standard that both Wireless USB and Bluetooth could use, preventing interference or conflicts, according to Wood. The group also achieved more widespread approval for the use of UWB, which is now legal at various frequencies in U.S., Europe, Japan and South Korea.

But industry analysts said UWB has never gained much traction, for a variety of reasons.

"If UWB were successful, the WiMedia Alliance wouldn't be shutting its doors," said In-Stat analyst Brian O'Rourke.

The technology is hobbled by both relatively high price and the lack of urgent uses, O'Rourke said. Because UWB chips are not shipping in the same kinds of volumes as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, they remain more expensive and there is a premium for products that include UWB. A typical use might involve networking a printer to a PC from across a home office, he said. But the number of people who need to do that is relatively small, and the extra cost of a Wireless USB printer or an add-on network limits the appeal, O'Rourke said.

UWB chips cost between US$6 and $7 and need to fall about another $1.50 before they start selling in higher volumes, said WiMedia's Wood.