Cooperation between Standards Groups Will Raise the Bar for Bluetooth® Technology in Mobile Phones
SAN FRANCISCO – October 23, 2007 – From CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2007, CTIA – The Wireless Association® and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), announced an agreement to help carriers increase the quality and consistency of Bluetooth wireless technology implementations in mobile phones. The agreement enables CTIA and the SIG to work together to provide consumers with a much better Bluetooth technology user experience when using their devices. The initial focus will be on improving connectivity and the user experience between mobile phones, headsets, stereo headsets, and car kits. Later collaborative efforts will focus on Bluetooth printing, file transfer and input applications when connecting mobile phones with printers, computers, peripherals, mobile phones and other devices.
Carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless are supporting the agreement and working with CTIA and the SIG on the new guidelines. ”Our customers want Bluetooth wireless technology and we want to give them the highest quality experience possible,” said Jun Shen, Lead Member Technical Staff, AT&T. “The cooperation of CTIA and the Bluetooth SIG will strengthen Bluetooth interoperability standards and result in higher customer satisfaction.”
The joint program will require companies wishing to certify products to the CTIA standards to:
- Qualify the Bluetooth design using standard SIG testing tools and guidelines;
- Use the SIG’s Profile Tuning Suite (PTS) and PTS-Extended Interoperability Testing Suites to verify device interoperability on the end product;
- List the Bluetooth product on the end-user product list (EPL) at Bluetooth.com;
- Use CTIA certified labs to test the device;
- CTIA certified labs will be Bluetooth SIG Associate members and required to provide feedback on any issues identified in the specifications or test cases to the Bluetooth SIG and CTIA.
The Bluetooth SIG’s Test Plan Generator, a best in class industry testing tool, will also be used to track the enhanced requirements and to help companies establish their test plans.
”The qualification program built by the Bluetooth SIG is thorough and keeps up with the changes in technology. Partnering with the Bluetooth SIG allows us to leverage the expertise of both organizations in the important area of certification,” said Robert Mesirow, vice president of business operations and show director for CTIA. “This agreement lets CTIA members ensure their end customers are getting the best Bluetooth implementation possible in their mobile devices.”
The agreement comes at a time when mobile phones are increasingly becoming the central personal electronic device in a consumer’s life. IMS recently announced that 63% of mobile phones in North America include Bluetooth technology. Awareness and capabilities of Bluetooth wireless technology are also at all-time highs. In the US, over 75% of consumers recognize the Bluetooth brand while the technology continues to expand, providing applications utilizing high speed and ultra low power to be introduced next year.
“The members of the Bluetooth SIG work hard to broaden the consumer’s positive experience with Bluetooth technology. Working with CTIA to make sure that every mobile phone includes the full functionality consumers expect of Bluetooth technology is a huge step in the right direction,” said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director, Bluetooth SIG.
About Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
Bluetooth wireless technology is the global short-range wireless standard for personal connectivity of a broad range of electronic devices. The technology is now available in its fourth version of the core specification and continues to develop, building on its inherent strengths – small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking abilities. More than five new Bluetooth enabled products are qualified every working day and 13 million Bluetooth units are shipping per week. The installed base of Bluetooth devices is 1.5 billion and climbing, making it the only proven choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide.
About the Bluetooth SIG
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, consumer electronics, automotive and network industries, is driving development of Bluetooth wireless technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes Promoter group companies Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, along with over 9,000 Associate and Adopter member companies. The Bluetooth SIG, Inc. headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A. For more information please visit www.bluetooth.com.
The Bluetooth word mark and logo are registered trademarks and are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Media assets (stills and video) to accompany stories about Bluetooth wireless technology are available on Bluetooth.com, hosted by The NewsMarket: http://www.thenewsmarket.com/Bluetooth/br/Story/MultimediaPressPacks.aspx
PRESS CONTACTS:
Starr Million Baker
INK Public Relations for the Bluetooth SIG
+1 (512) 382-8981
starr@ink-pr.com
Cheryl Delgreco
Media Strategies for CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment
617-429-6749
cdelgreco@msipr.com