After 20 Years, the BluetoothCommunity is Stronger Than Ever

May 22, 2018
Jason Marcel
20 Year

It’s been 20 years since five companies united together to form the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). Since then, the Bluetooth SIG has grown into an active global community dedicated to expanding the technology to solve new connectivity challenges and address new market opportunities.

Membership Makes It Happen

The Bluetooth^® community is the heart of Bluetooth technology. And according to the recently released Bluetooth Market Update, the heart is in great health. Membership at the Bluetooth SIG continues to experience strong growth. By the end of 2017, the community grew to more than 33,000 companies spread evenly across all regions of the world — highlighting the true global footprint of Bluetooth technology.

The Bluetooth community has seen a 90 percent growth in membership over the last five years alone, and in the two decades since inception there’s not been a dip or decline in membership growth. This tremendous level of member participation and activity translates into greater diversity of Bluetooth working groups and leads to the creation of even more forward-thinking wireless innovations. It’s the reason annual Bluetooth product shipment totals have experienced such a uniquely linear growth trajectory over the life of the technology.

“The Bluetooth community continues to grow and extend as the technology enhances its specification.”

Stuart Carlaw, Chief ABI Research Officer

The Backbone of Bluetooth

Bluetooth^® working groups are the backbone of the Bluetooth SIG. With the help of more than 2,000 new group and committee participants in 2017, the Bluetooth SIG working groups delivered nearly one new or updated specification each month. These groups and committees are the reason Bluetooth technology continues to be the global wireless standard powering the Internet of Things (IoT).

“The Bluetooth community continues to grow and extend as the technology enhances its specification in order to retain its prominent position in future markets.” said Chief ABI Research Officer Stuart Carlaw.

The Bluetooth Community is Trending Up

The Bluetooth^® member community’s collective drive to continually expand the technology’s capabilities has resulted in uncommonly consistent growth in Bluetooth product shipments. For the foreseeable future, especially with the emergence of Bluetooth innovations in the smart building and smart city markets, this trend is only anticipated to continue. And it’s all thanks to the tireless efforts and groundbreaking innovations of Bluetooth member companies.

For full access to all 2018 Bluetooth technology forecasts, and to see what trends the Bluetooth community is currently driving, download the 2018 Bluetooth Market Update.

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The Bluetooth^® Market Update

See the most important trends and forecasts for Bluetooth^® technology, and learn how the Bluetooth community continues to solve new connectivity challenges and address new market opportunities.

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