The official start of this wireless technology was in 1998, when five companies came together to develop it, but its mass diffusion began in 2000-2001, when it was marketed, applied to headphones, mobile phones. , laptops, computers, printers and ‘hands-free’ cars.
Bluetooth technology, so-called by the tenth-century Danish king who unified Denmark and Norway, was developed in the late 1990s to allow a wide range of devices to work together and connected and soon gained massive popularity in the UK. consumer electronics.
In 1998, a consortium of mobile, computer and electronics companies was formed to launch this wireless system, which began marketing in 2000, initiating a rapid take-off that led to the fact that in its first 10 years of validity, applied to nearly 2 billion products.
This wireless system was first applied in 2000 to mobile phones, desktops (PCs) and headphones (headsets), with 2001 being a revolutionary year in its history, with the introduction of printers, laptops. (laptops) and ‘hands-free’ equipment for cars.
Bluetooth technology and its technical specifications (standard or technological protocol), which allow the communication and wireless transmission of voice and data between electronic devices through a radio frequency link, has in its origins several key dates that marked a before and one later, in the takeoff and popularity of this system.
In 1998 a consortium of mobile, computer and electronics companies was formed to bring this wireless system to the consumer market, which began to be marketed in 2000 and in 2001 began a dizzying takeoff that led to the the fact that, in the first 10 years of this system, almost 2 billion Bluetooth-enabled products were shipped.
Bluetooth wireless technology, so called by Harald I Bluetooth, the tenth-century Danish king who unified Denmark and Norway, was developed in the late 1990s to allow a wide range of devices to work together and soon achieved a massive popularity in consumer electronics, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica (EB).
1998: ORIGIN OF WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY.
In 1998, Swedish mobile phone maker Ericsson launched a consortium of computer and electronics companies to launch a technology they had been developing for several years, to release computers, phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other devices. of the cables needed to transfer data to each other.
Ericsson, which had laid the groundwork for a short-range radio technology for wireless headphones, formed, along with IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba, the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) consortium formalizing the creation of a replacement for the cable used to communicate voice and data between electronic devices, according to the GIS (www.bluetooth.com).
One of the key objectives of this group was to ensure the standardization and interoperability of this new short-range radio technology to support connectivity and collaboration between different products and industries.
Regarding the system denomination, the GIS reports that at a preparatory meeting of this consortium, Jim Kardach of Intel suggested Bluetooth as a temporary code name, saying that “King Harald‘ Bluetooth ’Gormsson was famous to unite Scandinavia, as we intend to unite the PC and cellular industries with a short-range wireless link. ” This name became popular and spread becoming synonymous with short-range wireless technology.
The new GIS-driven technology protocol in 1998 was intended to operate on radio frequencies, rather than the infrared spectrum used by traditional remote controls, so devices should not maintain a line of sight, one with the ‘other, to be able to communicate wirelessly.
Other key features that gave it massive popularity were its low power consumption, which allowed for easy battery operation, and its relatively low cost, according to EB.
Adds this source that the Bluetooth GIS consortium launched the Bluetooth 1.0 specifications in 1999, after a period in which it seemed that the IEEE 802.11b protocol, or Wi-Fi, more expensive but faster, could become obsolete in Bluetooth, after which this technology began to gain ground in the market.
2000-2001: WIRELESS TAKE OFF BEGINS.
The technology was first applied in 2000 to cell phones and desktops, and spread to printers and laptops (laptops) in 2001, according to EB. The first headsets with Bluetooth were also marketed in 2000, according to the site specializing in Bluetooth Studio technology, BS (https://bluetoothstudio.com).
This technology spread rapidly, with 2001 being a revolutionary year in its history, with the introduction of the first printer, the first laptop and the first ‘hands-free’ car kit, equipped with this wireless system, carrying things to a new level, according to BS.
In 2002 the system reached GPS receivers, keyboards and computer mice and digital cameras; in 2003 it was extended to medical devices and MP3 players; in 2006 it was applied to photo frames and digital watches and sunglasses with audio; and in 2012 it was applied to low-power electronic tablets, launching over the years new expanded and perfected versions of this technology, according to this source.
By the middle of that decade, Bluetooth headsets for cell phones were almost ubiquitous and technology was being incorporated into TVs and many other consumer products, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS-232 data cables, Bluetooth technology has become the global standard for short-range, low-power wireless connectivity, according to the GIS, which held the 2018 its twentieth anniversary with the motto ‘20 Years of Blue ’.
They emphasize that now this technology allows multiple forms of connection, from a simple ‘point to point’, to the introduction of the so-called mesh networks or ‘mesh networking’, ie networks with all their interconnected nodes that allow to tens, hundreds or thousands of devices communicate with each other.
By the end of the first year of its creation, more than 4,000 companies had signed up for the Bluetooth GIS, and there are currently more than 33,000 companies that are members of this consortium.
In 2000, when Bluetooth technology was first commercialized, about 800,000 Bluetooth-enabled devices were shipped each year, and today, more than 10 million devices are shipped daily, according to the GIS.
“Looking back, Bluetooth was a remarkable combination of technology and technical marketing, and possibly one of the fastest developments in a global creative standard, from idea to commercial deployment,” according to Glen Collinson, co-founder of Cambridge Silicon Radio, a pioneer in Bluetooth.
“Bluetooth is not just a technology, it’s also a community of companies that continue to drive innovation and work together to continually advance technology,” says Mark Powell, director of Bluetooth GIS, based in Kirkland, Washington. .
“More than 2,300 people involved in more than 15 working groups continue to provide new capabilities, such as recent improvements in speed, range and data transmission added to version 5, and accelerating new markets such as smart buildings and industries.” , emphasizes.