Bluetooth Technology Alliance for 20 years: from obscurity to the world

In 2018, the Bluetooth Technology Alliance officially celebrated its 20th anniversary. For individuals, 20 years is enough to enter the young adulthood from birth, and this stage is also the most creative period in life. This is also an important node for a technology alliance.

Bluetooth technology was originally used as an alternative to the RS232 data line to connect multiple devices, overcoming the challenges of data synchronization. Bluetooth is now managed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), which has more than 25,000 member companies worldwide in multiple areas such as telecommunications, computing, networking, and consumer electronics .

Rapidly developing Bluetooth technology

Recently, at the Bluetooth Asia 2018 Asia Bluetooth Conference, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) released the "Bluetooth Market Update". According to the report, there will be 5.2 billion Bluetooth devices exported by 2022. From 2013 to 2022, the compound growth rate of Bluetooth device shipments will reach 12%.

Chuck Sabin, Senior Director of Strategic Planning, Bluetooth Technology Alliance

From prototype technology to today's global standards, Bluetooth has come a long way. Nowadays, with the popularity of smartphones, Bluetooth technology has become the standard to be placed. The application scene has been expanding continuously, and there are Bluetooth functions involved in games, entertainment, and work.

"When I first joined the Bluetooth Technology Alliance, probably seven or eight years ago, the Bluetooth community had only 10,000 members, but in just seven or eight years, our member companies have reached nearly 34,000. Therefore, we have seen the rapid development of the Bluetooth community. It seems that among all similar organizations, the Bluetooth Technology Alliance has the largest number of member companies and is the most powerful and outstanding company.” At the conference, the Bluetooth Technology Alliance Chuck Sabin, Senior Director of Strategic Planning, said.

Why is Bluetooth so hot?

The development of Bluetooth is so rapid, and it is also curious as to why this technology is so popular. After all, under the impact of new technologies such as Wi-Fi and 5G, the importance of Bluetooth seems to be dispersed. However, with the gradual popularization of smart wearable devices, people have once again paid attention to the function of Bluetooth.

To put it simply, ordinary Bluetooth is a radio technology that supports short-range communication of devices. A Bluetooth master can communicate with up to seven devices in a piconet. The devices can be converted by a protocol, and the slaves can also be converted to equipment. This also means that we can liberate from the cumbersome lines and make relatively stable and low latency wireless connections.

Therefore, this also makes it a good thing in the traditional market. According to relevant reports, Bluetooth's latest core standard "Bluetooth 5" is quickly adopted by smartphones. Smartphones, tablets and notebooks shipped after 2018 will be 100% adopted. Bluetooth, it is expected that shipments of Bluetooth devices in this field will reach 2.05 billion in 2018.

In the audio market, Bluetooth is performing well. By the end of 2018, the annual shipment of the Bluetooth smart speaker market will be twice as high as it is currently, and is expected to grow three times by the end of 2022. In the automotive field, Bluetooth has become a must-have feature. In 2018, up to 86% of all new cars will have Bluetooth connectivity.

In addition, among other interconnected devices, Bluetooth is also eye-catching. In the healthcare field, Bluetooth devices will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 28% over the next five years. And new enterprise-level use cases are driving the rapid adoption of Bluetooth wearables among the workforce, and it is expected that by 2022, enterprise-grade Bluetooth wearables will reach 102 million.

Source: OFweek Electronic Engineering Network