Short-range wireless communication refers to the communication between two wireless devices within a local area, such as a home, office, laboratory, building, campus, workshop, or factory. The distance between these devices is typically within 10 to 20 meters. This technology allows users to move at low speeds within a limited space while maintaining a network connection. Through a gateway, users and devices can also connect to the entire Internet.
Over the past 30 years, short-range wireless communication has developed rapidly, and the market size is substantial. In 2019, the global shipment of wireless short-range communication chips reached 11.1 billion pieces, and this number is projected to exceed 16 billion pieces in 2023. With the rapid development of industries such as smart cars, smart terminals, smart homes, and smart manufacturing, there are increasing wireless demands and trends in various application fields. These demands take into account the full life cycle of product production, manufacturing, application, sales, and maintenance, as well as user habits and convenience.
The existing wireless short-range technology can no longer meet certain demanding requirements in terms of latency, reliability, synchronization accuracy, and security. To address these challenges, the Star Flash Alliance was formed. This alliance aims to propose a new generation of Star Flash wireless short-range communication technology to meet the ultimate performance requirements of various application scenarioses, such as smart cars, smart homes, smart terminals, and smart manufacturing.
As of the first half of 2024, the Star Alliance has nearly 1,000 members, covering the entire upstream and downstream of the industry chain from chips to applications. These members jointly promote the innovation of the new generation of wireless short-range communication technology and industrial ecology. Through the joint efforts of the members and partners of the Star Alliance, Star Technology has formed a complete industry chain in aspects such as standard construction, prototype verification, commercial chip development, modules, test instruments, and product testing and certification systems. The trend of industrialization acceleration is evident.
The Star Flash 1.0 series of standards were officially released on November 4, 2022. The 1.0 series encompasses the access layer, basic service layer, general aspects (including architecture, identification, etc.), security, and testing, providing robust support for the commercialization of Star Flash products.
The Star Flash 2.0 series of standards, officially released on March 30, 2024, comprises a total of 21 standards. This series completes the Star Flash end-to-end protocol system, offering a more comprehensive communication foundation and richer application standards. It fully supports Star Flash native audio and video, human-computer interaction, positioning, and other applications.
Based on the needs and key technical challenges presented by application cases in the fields of smart cars, smart terminals, smart homes, and smart manufacturing, Star Flash wireless short-range communication technology will continue to evolve. It will improve technical indicators, enrich technical characteristics, connect with, and adapt to the needs of more industry applications and scenarioses, thereby fostering a richer industrial ecology.