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Last updated: Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has formally adopted a new high-speed standard that will enable Bluetooth functionality to run over Wi-Fi (802.11) without the need for an intervening wireless network connection. Bluetooth 3.0+HS maintains backward compatibility with current Bluetooth protocols, profiles, security and pairing while simultaneously achieving substantially faster data-transfer speeds of approximately 24 megabits per second through the momentary use of a secondary 802.11 radio riding piggyback on the enabling device. And when the high-speed 802.11 is not required, the wireless connection will revert to normal operation over a regular-speed Bluetooth radio. “Consumers with Bluetooth 3.0+HS products will get faster exchange of information without changing how they connect,” said Bluetooth SIG Executive Director Michael Foley. Quick Share and Sync From a technical perspective, the 10x speed improvement offered by Bluetooth 3.0+HS over the previous generation come from the new standard’s integration of a generic alternate MAC/PHY with an 802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL). The combination enables Bluetooth profiles to take advantage of 802.11 speeds whenever required. Product manufacturers such as Motorola, Toshiba, Sony and Samsung are expected to incorporate Bluetooth 3.0+HS into next-generation smartphones, netbooks, TV sets, camcorders and other consumer gear that consumers will be able to buy within the next nine to 12 months. “And they’ll get the chips to do that from folks like Atheros, Broadcom, CSR and Marvel — companies who participated in the prototyping phase of this specification to ensure it was up to snuff for the marketplace,” Foley said. For example, Broadcom says it has developed a single chip that integrates a qualified Bluetooth 3.0+HS controller and a certified Wi-Fi media access controller/physical layer device. Moreover, the chipmaker’s core Bluetooth software stack already has been qualified as compliant with the new Bluetooth spec. One common goal of the association’s members is to enable consumers to share and…

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Bluetooth SIG Adopts 3.0+HS High-Speed Standard

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