FiRa Consortium Launches Ultra-Wideband Plugfests to Advance Industry Interoperability

New industry testing initiative kicks off with 2026 Plugfests hosted by Qualcomm Technologies and STMicroelectronics

BEAVERTON, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The FiRa® Consortium today announced the launch of FiRa Plugfests, a new industry initiative designed to accelerate ultra-wideband (UWB) interoperability through hands-on, real-world testing and collaboration. Leading the way, FiRa Sponsor members Qualcomm Technologies and STMicroelectronics will host the first two FiRa Plugfests in 2026, providing FiRa members with dedicated venues to validate implementations, share technical insights, and strengthen confidence in FiRa-based products across the ecosystem.

Accelerating Real-World Interoperability

FiRa Plugfests are in-person, pairwise interoperability testing events where members validate adopted FiRa specifications, exchange technical insights, and build real-world confidence in FiRa-based products across the ecosystem. By testing side by side, participants can identify issues earlier, improve implementation quality, and help ensure consistent, interoperable solutions as UWB continues to scale across devices and applications.

“FiRa Plugfests turn specifications into real-world confidence,” said Annette Mahoney, Specification Program Manager at FiRa Consortium. “They give all our members a powerful opportunity to test together, learn quickly, and deliver truly interoperable FiRa solutions.”

“The leadership shown by Qualcomm Technologies and STMicroelectronics in hosting our first Plugfests reflects a shared commitment to making interoperability real, not just theoretical,” Mahoney added. “Their partnership is instrumental in helping FiRa members move confidently from specification to deployment.”

Registration Now Open for FiRa Plugfest #1 hosted by Qualcomm Technologies

Registration has now opened for the first FiRa Plugfest #1 in April 2026. This inaugural Plugfest marks an important milestone for the FiRa ecosystem, giving members a dedicated environment to collaborate, validate performance, and advance product readiness together.

FiRa Plugfest #2 to be hosted by STMicroelectronics in September 2026

Building on this momentum, FiRa Plugfest #2 will be hosted by STMicroelectronics in September 2026, further expanding opportunities for global participation and collaboration among FiRa members.

Registration information and event details will be shared directly with FiRa members.

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. To learn more about UWB and the FiRa Consortium, visit www.firaconsortium.org.

©2026 FiRa Consortium. All rights reserved. FiRa, FiRa Consortium, the FiRa logo, the FiRa Certified logo, and the FiRa tagline are trademarks or registered trademarks of FiRa Consortium or its licensor(s)/ supplier(s) in the US and other countries and may not be used without permission. All other trademarks, service marks, and product or service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Contacts

Benjamin Guilloud
FiRa Consortium
Marketing Working Group Chairman
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]