Bluetooth is booming: Report

Shipments fo Bluetooth devices in 2003 will double to 70 million units, according to a new Frost & Sullivan report that praises the six-year-old technology.

The research and consultancy company said that actual numbers could in fact go substantially higher than 70 million units, as second-half shipments ramp up. The big rise is in line with trends over the past two years: Bluetooth first hit the market in meaningful volumes in 2001, when 10 million units were shipped, and by the end of 2002 that number had tripled to almost 35 million devices…

“Critics would be hard-pressed to name any other wireless communications technology that managed to achieve the volumes and diversity of deployment ob Bluetooth in just six years,” the company said…

The company went on to say that the growth of the technology will be now be driven mainly by developers who will find an ever-growing number of applications for Bluetooth beyond mobile phones and PCs, with automotive and industrial applications the most obvious areas. “There are no clear competitiors to Bluetooth in the personal area networking space, and while there amy be other new technologies on the fringes of its range, none have its scope, volume or maturity,” Frost said.

For the companies involved in developing standards and applications for the technology, success will mean finding the right market segments and business strategies to appeal to the broadest number of users and hardware makers seeking to add the technology to devices, explained Frost & Sullivan consultant Carles Ferreiro…