A multichannel filter-based handheld UWB communication transceiver is presented for outdoor operations. Using eleven multichannels with multicarrier modulations, the invented handheld UWB communication transceiver can transmit and receive UWB signals at a data rate up to 7.15 Gcps with scalability capabilities. In addition, the handheld UWB communication transceiver can be controlled in a programmable way to avoid interference with WLAN devices.