Bluetooth 5 is coming. And it is touted to be much faster, offering longer range and larger broadcast message capacity.
On Wednesday, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) officially adopted Bluetooth 5, lifting hopes of seeing products with the technology in the next two to six months.
Particularly targeted at enhancing the Internet of Things (IoT) experience, Bluetooth 5 is expected to create new opportunities in various verticals of the IoT market, in addition to smartphones, laptops and wearables.
“Bluetooth is revolutionizing how people experience the IoT. Bluetooth 5 continues to drive this revolution by delivering reliable IoT connections and mobilizing the adoption of beacons, which in turn will decrease connection barriers and enable a seamless IoT experience,” said Mark Powell, Executive Director of the Bluetooth SIG.
“With the launch of Bluetooth 5, we continue to evolve to meet the needs of IoT developers and consumers while staying true to what Bluetooth is at its core: the global wireless standard for simple, secure, connectivity.”
Towards the significant changes and features to expect in Bluetooth 5. The Washington-based industry body says this has four times more range, two times speed, and eight times broadcast message capacity.
While the increased speed will steer high-performance devices, Bluetooth says the broadcast message size increases the data sent for improved solutions. Bluetooth 5 also includes updates that will ensure Bluetooth devices can coexist within the increasingly complex global IoT environment.
ABI Research, a leader in technology market intelligence, opines that the global wireless connectivity market is growing rapidly. The firm anticipates 48 billion internet-enabled devices to be installed by 2021, of which nearly one-third will include Bluetooth.
Bluetooth SIG is responsible for protecting Bluetooth trademarks and administering the wireless technology. Members on its board include Lenovo, LG, Microsoft, Nokia, Toshiba, Intel, Apple and Motorola.
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