Universal standardization of power over air is the best way to ensure future compatibility of all wireless systems
The world’s current infrastructure for getting power to people, places, and devices is strong. The electrical grid is almost everywhere, and where it isn’t, batteries have been the status quo.
Changing this system is a challenge, even when more efficient, earth-friendly, sustainable, reliable technologies emerge, and much of that is due to compatibility concerns. Makes sense. Wireless power that only sends power to certain devices and only in some locations is limited in its usefulness.
That’s why Ossia has established a universal standard for anyone to use and licenses the technology to ensure the widest reach and most diverse applications possible. The Cota standard for wireless power allows a wide range of manufacturers, service providers, and other participants to ensure consistency of performance, security and interoperability across a wide range of devices, no matter which entity develops the Power Hubs and receivers.
Need more background on what wireless power over air is, exactly, and how product innovators are using it? Check out this playbook.
Why is a universal standard for wireless power needed?
With batteries, standardization has ensured that you’ll likely find a new battery that fits your device, even if it’s a different brand or from a different country.
With USB charging cables (in all its various configurations), has offered some standardization, but finding the right cord and adapter in your travel bag of cables for a specific product, whether Apple or Android, table-top lamp or eBook, can be a challenge.
With wireless power over air, the devices must have a receiver built in (or an adapter) that works with the Power Hub—every time—regardless of the device type or brand, who manufactured it, or where they are located. That’s why it is imperative that there’s a universal
standard for that receiver and Power Hub. Customers and users expect that their devices will “talk” to the wireless power delivery systems available to them. They don’t know or care that dozens or even hundreds of companies are building these wirelessly powered products. It just needs to work.
Standardization ensures that seamless compatibility. It also ensures business collaboration.
How standardization drives collaboration, which deepens the compatibility possibilities
When manufacturers are leveraging a global gold standard in wireless power, then they can also work with other companies that have access to those guidelines too. Parts can be developed in different warehouses. Partnering companies can provide accessories. Service providers can more easily work with multiple clients. And as the technology improves, the standard will evolve with input from all partnering companies and manufacturers to ensure wireless power technology evolves to meet the needs of entire wireless power ecosystem.
When everyone is working on the same platform, with the same “language,” businesses win and so do their customers.
Embracing sharing vs proprietary and guarded tech
Skeptics often ask why Ossia would embrace the licensing model, rather than keep our patented technology under lock and key. The answer is pretty simple. Our goal is to make wireless power as ubiquitous as the electrical outlet. Keeping the technology to ourselves would mean doing everything ourselves, in house, from technology development to device ideation to manufacturing to service delivery. It would be impossible to do all of those things well for all possible scenarios, both current and future.
Creating and sharing the standards needed to build a worldwide ecosystem through global licensing partners is the only way to expedite wireless power in the most useful, meaningful, and equitable way. Creating a broad standards based ecosystem of companies that license wireless power technology from Ossia, according to the Cota standard, allows us to harness the creativity and innovation of a broad range of partners. This allows us to expand the capabilities and uses or wireless power far beyond what a single company like Ossia could do alone.
Ossia focuses on the technology and empowers our partners to create and collaborate: with us and with each other. By harnessing a community of wireless power innovators, this standards-based licensing model has the power to enable new technologies and use-cases that haven’t even been conceived yet.
Are you Cota-enabled?
Ready to develop your own wirelessly powered devices with Cota Real Wireless Power? Want to join the ecosystem of Cota-enabled products and services? Contact us. We’d love to hear from you.
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