Bluetooth future under threat

By Simon Aughton

Posted on 2 Sep 2002 at 15:57

The future of Bluetooth has come into question, with the announcement by one manufacturer that it is suspending R&D into the wireless technology.

After a long gestation period, Bluetooth has emerged this year as a viable technology for wireless communication over short distances by small devices such as mobile phones and handheld PDAs. Both Microsoft and Apple have included Bluetooth support in the latest versions of their operating systems.

However it would appear that its impact has not been as expected. According to DigiTimes, US-based Conexant Systems, which launched several Bluetooth chips last year, is suspending research and development and discontinuing sales of Bluetooth systems, due to 'weak demand'.

Kevin Wang, technical adviser for wireless specialists GemTek Technology, predicts that Bluetooth will be shortlived, to be replaced by new technologies - UWB (ultra-wideband, also known as 802.15.3) and ZigBee.

UWB provides 100 times faster transmission rates than Bluetooth and is thus much more suited to the transfer of larger files such as video, images and audio, while ZigBee is expected to provide a low-cost alternative for 'less-sophisticated' devices such as mice and keyboards.

Nonetheless Microsoft - which will soon be launching Bluetooth-based mice and keyboards, Apple and mobile phone manufacturers have made significant investments in the technology. This may ensure that its lifespan may not be so short as some are predicting.