Bluetooth[tm] Special Interest Group To Be Led By 3Com, Ericsson, Intel, IBM, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, And Toshiba

IP News

Bluetooth[tm] Special Interest Group To Be Led By 3Com, Ericsson, Intel, IBM, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, And Toshiba

Diverse Group of Industry Leaders Promote Technology to Enable a Wireless World

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 1, 1999 - The five founding companies of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), Ericsson, IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Nokia and Toshiba Corporation, today announced that 3Com Corporation, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft Corporation and Motorola Inc. will join them to form the Promoter group of the Bluetooth SIG. The charter of the Promoter group is to lead the efforts of the Bluetooth SIG, by creating a forum for enhancing the Bluetooth specification and providing a vehicle for interoperability testing. The acceptance of the Bluetooth wireless technology is unprecedented, with more than 1,200 companies already having joined the SIG, as adopters, since its inception less than two years ago. The magnitude and reach of the Bluetooth specification, as well as the emergence of new applications led to the decision to broaden the group. Promoter group companies bring diversity, expertise and depth of experience to the Bluetooth SIG.

The Bluetooth technology is expected to re-define the personal communications market by expanding the capabilities of mobile devices, making these devices work better together. According to market research firm Cahners In-Stat Group, there will be over 670 million Bluetooth enabled devices worldwide by 2005. Bluetooth technology will provide an easier way for a variety of mobile computing, communications and other devices to communicate with one another and connect to the Internet without the need for wires or cables. Bluetooth technology will also make it easier for users of mobile computers, mobile phones and handheld devices to keep their data wirelessly synchronized. The first manifestation of the Bluetooth technology is evident in recent product announcements.

Bluetooth Promoter Group
By working together, the nine-company Promoter group will combine their respective skills to help drive the program forward. There is a wealth of experience among the Promoter group, providing an extensive array of potential solutions for wireless connectivity. There is also shared expertise in such areas as radio and computing technology, software development, and networking, which broadens the perspective and increases the depth of the vision in these areas.

The Bluetooth SIG is an excellent example of an organization whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While each company in the Promoter group has leveraged unique and complementary core competencies in the development and promotion of the Bluetooth technology, the specification and ultimately the product solutions will be the result of a concerted team effort.

Bluetooth Developers Conference: Building a World Without Wires
The Bluetooth Developers Conference will be held in Los Angeles, Calif. on Dec. 7-9, 1999, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. This conference will provide an educational forum and direct application of Bluetooth technology for numerous vertical markets including automotive, consumer electronics and business. The Bluetooth Developers Conference will pull together software developers, network vendors, silicon vendors, manufacturers and other technologists from diverse market segments with one common purpose: building a world without wires. For more information and to register for the conference, please visit: http://www.bluetooth.com/developers99.

Bluetooth Special Interest Group
The Bluetooth technology is a specification for small form factor, low-cost, wireless communication and networking between PCs, mobile phones and other portable devices. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is driven by the common goal of revolutionizing connectivity for both personal and business mobile devices. Formed in May of 1998, and having grown faster than any other wireless specification to over 1,200 members, the Bluetooth SIG is led by a nine-company Promoter group including 3Com Corporation, Ericsson, IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft Corporation, Motorola Inc., Nokia, and Toshiba Corporation. By working together, the Promoter group companies will combine their respective skills to help drive the program forward as Bluetooth enabled products come to market. For more information and specifications, please visit www.bluetooth.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
 

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

*All products and company names herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.