Bluetooth, a wireless technology in evolution

Bluetooth is a short range wireless technology that is widely used in the electronics industry: Mobile phones, of course, but also ear pieces, wireless headsets, laptop computers and other peripherals (keyboards, mice, printers, etc). Its presence is wide even if it isn’t always noticed by the general public.

Created in 1994 by Ericsson, it really started to take off when the group started promoting their Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) in September 1998, which allowed then to validate Bluetooth 1.0 a year later so that industry could assure interoperability between their devices.

Its momentum came from being rapidly integrated into mobile phones, with its low energy use and transmission profile being especially adapted to voice allowing it to successfully spread as a new international technology.

Diversification for continued existence
At the end of 2006, the Bluetooth SIG announced that more then one billion Bluetooth devices had been sold since its creation, and that they hope to reach two billion before 2010. With this in mind, the technology which offers a speed in order of 1 Mbps was starting to feel the strain of new uses.

High speeds started to appear on fixed lines allowing for the exchanging of large files (music, photos, video, etc) with other wireless technologies (especially WiFi, but also Wireless USB to soon be released) threatening the applications field.

Late running development was extenuated by the UMB radio protocol (Ultra Wide Band), which provides speeds of 480 Mbps over short distances, which means other alternatives had to be sought out like the IEEE 802.11, a protocol that is different then standard WiFi asit comes with certain compromises.

At the same time, the Bluetooth SIG also understood the interest in this technology and the multitude of low energy consumption applications, ranging fro health services and sport, with a strong demand coming from the medical field.

While options are open for new omnipresent wireless transmission modes, the possibilities of use are not always identified by the public.