General.

Besides being  the name of a Viking king who lived between 900 and 1000 AD, Bluetooth  is the name for a new technology applicable for a radiobased local area network (LAN). 

Bluetooth can simply be considered as the replacement for a cable, nothing more – nothing less. That is what is really is, whether this would be a parallel port (PRT) or a serial port (COM) cable. 

It all started with a rather small group of companies endorsing the initiative by early 1998. These were ERICSSON, NOKIA, INTEL, TOSHIBA and INTEL. Towards the end of 1999 Microsoft, Motorola, 3Com and Lucent had joined the team.  A further 1500 members have signed up in the interest group. 

Competitors are already there, naming a few, like the Wireless Networking 802.11, DECT, infrared and others. However these are to a very large extent optimised for certain applications or networks. In these areas they may be better suited than Bluetooth, but while Bluetooth is less perfect it is truly universal. This new technology can cover all of these areas and more. 

Applications and use. 

Bluetooth can be built into any electronic equipment and of course replace the cable used today. However, the potentials are very more powerful and universal. A mobile telephone could tomorrow be a “mädchen für alles”, a unit that could do everything. Remote control for the TV, garage door opener, or whatever. Your imagination should be the limiting factor. Universal car kits, domestic telephone, local walkie talkies, again whatever. It is universal and will support anything. One possibility for example would be that the owner of a GSM terminal could approach a Bluetooth connection point and download a software update. E-commerce also is with a high probability a target area. 

Technology. 

The technology is by large based on packet philosophy with a reasonable level of security. The applications on top should be considering this issue. The main points of interest are: 

·        Low power – 1 mW

·        10 metres range

·        721 kb/s (initially)

·        a- and synchronous transmission

·        one-to-one, multi-multi- piconets

·        2,54 GHz, no license (some problems in France)

·        frequency hopping, close to spread spectrum

·        LOW COST

Road map. 

Currently Bluetooth is in a development phase. Kits should appear for development purposes in mid 2000. Prices starting to go down for industrial applications toward less than US$ 5 for a chip by the end of 2002  

Summary. 

The standard is open, and it may be downloaded from the Bluetooth WEB page at no cost. It will be cheap to make and use, with extensive coverage and great business potential – many new businesses will start, using this technology for providing services to people on the move.

 Look at the tremendous success of GSM, this was an open standard from the beginning. The technology will support anything, it is universal.

The success is inevitable. See www.bluetooth.com for more information.