RTX Telecom participated in the Bluetooth Congress 2002 in Amsterdam, and was delighted to see a huge improvement compared with last year’s congress. This year, many more products containing Bluetooth implementations were on show, and industries new to Bluetooth were also represented.

Automobiles

By 2003, the first cars to incorporate Bluetooth products will be launched on the market. DaimlerChrysler have already designed a car in which Bluetooth and a microphone are built into the rear-view mirror, for use with a compatible cellular phone. Users do not even need to take the phone out of their pocket to make or receivea call. As soon as they enter the car,

Bluetooth links up automatically.

Wireless healtcare

Another interesting product on display at the congress was a heart-monitoring system launched by the cellular telephone operator Orange. This makes use of Bluetooth technology to transfer data from the patient’s heart to portable receiving devices in the vicinity. The data is then relayed to medical staff via GSM or HSCSD networks. This is Orange's first move into wireless healthcare.

In previous years, the Bluetooth Congress was dominated by software applications and partnership announcements. This year, however, these were much less in evidence.

Interoperability - a requirement that still lacks a solution

Consumers have now become aware of the benefits available from using Bluetooth - namely seamless connectivity between a wide range of different devices. However, this is not always achieved in practice. Interoperability is therefore the most widely discussed issue amongst those currently working with Bluetooth. Many people are starting to feel insecure about the very future of Bluetooth, overlooking the fact that this is a new and developing technology. The obstacles to interoperability arise when "old" equipment, which does not comply with the latest version of the Bluetooth specification, is used in combination with newer equipment. This problem will solve itself in the course of time.

Still not plug & play

Another issue raised by users is the wide variation in the quality of the user interface between different products, as not all products are equally easy to connect. Users find themselves entering a whole new world of wireless transmission, which cannot be compared with using a cordless phone or any other device they have previously seen. There is a general need for Bluetooth products to be much more user-friendly than they are at present. It is worth remembering, however, that SMS took ten years to become the huge success it is today. China Mobile reports that its users sent a record number of 8.53 billion SMS messages in June alone.

More competitive prices

Many cordless and wireless technologies currently compete with each other. Bluetooth is only one of these, and competition as regards price is intense. It is clear that further reductions in the price of Bluetooth chips and Bluetooth products are necessary.

Predicted boom in Bluetooth usage

Experts are confident that the use of Bluetooth will steadily increase. This will take place in line with manufacturers developing greater product interoperability, a general improvement in user-friendliness, and falling chip prices. At present, the majority of users are either technology enthusiasts or business users, but the massmarket will respond to price reductions.

As soon as a “critical mass” of users is established, Bluetooth will finally take-off.

What is BluetoothTM?

Bluetooth wireless technology enables a wide variety of electronic devices - such as headsets, cellular phones, and desktop and notebook computers - to communicate with each other quickly and easily. The advanced transmission protocols adopted for the Bluetooth specification ensure both protection from interference and the security of transmitted data. Bluetooth wireless technology operates on a globally available frequency band (2.4 GHz), which guarantees worldwide communication compatibility.

Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG. Maximum data rate: 1 Mbit/s Maximum range: 100 m (300 ft)