Today, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) kicks off its 20th anniversary year from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a showcase for breakthrough technologies, like Bluetooth®, and a global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced. Formed in 1998, the Bluetooth SIG started with a handful of companies focused on wire replacement for mobile voice and data. Today over 33,000 member companies are part of an organization dedicated to perfecting and advancing a flexible, reliable, and secure wireless connection solution.
“Since its inception, Bluetooth has continuously evolved, expanding the universe of innovative ways for things to connect,” said Mark Powell, executive director for Bluetooth SIG, Inc. “The Bluetooth connection is driving innovation and innovation creates major new markets. Whether it is connections for wireless audio, wearable devices, tracking assets, or automating buildings, Bluetooth has been – and will continue to be – the innovative force creating new consumer, commercial, and industrial markets.”
“Over the last 20 years Bluetooth has been pivotal in enabling compelling customer experiences. It has been one of the key technologies underpinning the consumer wireless revolution,” said Stuart Carlaw, Chief Research Officer at ABI Research. “The Bluetooth community continues to grow and extend as the technology enhances its specification in order to retain its prominent position in future markets including the IoT.”
For two decades, Bluetooth technology has been creating connections that power innovations and establish new markets. Before Bluetooth, the wireless audio and connected device markets did not exist. Now, nearly 4 billion Bluetooth devices are expected to ship in 2018 across a number of consumer, commercial, and industrial markets.
Phone,
Tablet & PC Market
Phones, tablets, and PCs have become
portals through which people experience every thing and every place.
Bluetooth technology is the wireless constant in all of them, and the
key to making IoT solutions accessible to everyone. 2.3 billion
Bluetooth phones,
tablets, and PCs will ship in 2018.
Audio
& Entertainment Market
Bluetooth has forever changed
the way we consume media and experience the world. Bluetooth speakers
will account for 66 percent of all speaker shipments this year, which is
only a fraction of the 1.2 billion Bluetooth enabled audio and
entertainment devices that will ship in 2018.
Automotive
Market
Bluetooth will come as standard in 86% of all new
cars, trucks, and SUVs shipped in 2018. Bluetooth products have brought
new levels of safety to our roads and more convenience to the in-car
experience and are now enabling exciting new use cases that increase
fuel efficiency, protect drivers from the effects of fatigue, and better
connect cars and drivers to the cities around them.
Connected
Device Market
Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), introduced in
2010, is powering the connected device market, which is projected to
ship 780 million Bluetooth enabled devices in 2018. By connecting
billions of everyday devices and enabling the invention of countless
more, Bluetooth technology is helping make the IoT vision a reality.
Smart
Building Market
The 2017 release of Bluetooth mesh
and recent advancements in Bluetooth broadcasting make intelligent
building automation at scale a reality. With whole-building coverage now
a possibility, Bluetooth is expanding the definition of the smart
building by enabling indoor positioning and location services that focus
on enhancing the visitor experience, increasing occupant productivity,
and optimizing space utilization. Seventy-five percent of the top 20
retailers have already deployed location services, and 815 million
Bluetooth smart building devices are expected to ship in 2022.
Smart
Industry Market
Bluetooth is leading the convergence of
industry and information that will pave the way for the next industrial
revolution. Forecasts project a 10x growth in annual shipments of
Bluetooth smart industry devices by 2022. These industrial solutions
will connect critical components of a manufacturer’s value stream,
keeping machines, people, and processes in lockstep, while driving new
levels of efficiency, productivity, and safety.
Smart
City Market
Bluetooth enhances the visitor experience and
creates rich, personalized experiences for concert goers, museum lovers,
sports fans, and tourists. According to proximity.directory,
84 percent of global airports, 93 percent of MLB stadiums, and 75
percent of NFL stadiums are projected to be using beacons by 2019, and
location-based services deployments are expected to increase by five
times by 2022.
Smart
Home Market
Whether connecting TVs to soundbars or PCs to
keyboards, Bluetooth technology has been at the heart of the connected
home for years. With 600 million Bluetooth smart home devices forecasted
to ship in 2018 alone, Bluetooth is now helping deliver the promise of
the smart home.
For more information on the history of Bluetooth and what’s next for the technology, please visit: https://www.Bluetooth.com/media/ces.
About Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
Bluetooth is the global wireless standard for simple, secure connectivity. Propelled by a global community of more than 33,000 companies, Bluetooth serves to unify, harmonize and drive innovation in the vast range of connected devices all around us. Through collective creation and shared technical standards, Bluetooth simplifies, secures and enriches the technology experience of users worldwide.
About Market Data
Unless otherwise stated, market data and Bluetooth shipment estimates are provided by ABI Research.
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