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Jun. 13, 2007

Overall, mobile phones are taking a completely new jump in becoming the center of the personal universe.

That's about what the implications are judging from the announcement that Nokia's ultra-low power, short-range wireless technology dubbed 'Wibree' when it becomes a part of Bluetooth's modern communications technology.

Bluetooth's merger of its technology, which will become more evident sometime in 2008, also fills another part of its future as a short-range communications tool.

More and more today, Bluetooth is becoming a bit like an umbrella technology, integrating a wide range of wireless technologies that offer everything from low-power to very high data rates.

"Overall, bringing other technologies like ultra-wideband (UWB), near field communications (NFC) and Wibree into the game is simply opening up a host of new applications and functionality, while at the same time keeping the user experience consistent," said Mike Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.

Nokia started working on Wibree over six years ago and also created the Wibree Forum, which has some close similarities to Bluetooth.

Wibree operates in the same 2.4 GHz spectrum (Bluetooth with UWB will operate at higher frequencies), and provides communication up to about 10 meters. It provides lower data rates (theoretically up to 1 Mbps) but offers very low power consumption.

CSR, which is designing Bluetooth silicon using the Wibree technology, says it could power devices up to 10 years although the Bluetooth SIG says a watch using the technology likely would run about one year before a recharge.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group says use of Wibree, which will be known as the ultra-low power extension for Bluetooth, will make it possible for Bluetooth-enabled devices like mobile phones to communicate with watches and toys, sports and wellness devices like pedometers, health care devices like heart monitors and entertainment devices.

The technology could be used in standalone applications for extremely low power consumption, or in a dual-mode implementation with traditional Bluetooth devices like phones and computers.

In an email exchange, Foley said Wibree and the NFC will work together.

NFC also is a low-power technology, but will be used with Bluetooth to set up device pairing. Foley said NFC can set up the pairing of devices and then a Wibree radio could provide the communications.

Asked about the integration of UWB, which started in early 2006, Foley said it has been slower than anticipated, but that the SIG expects the new specification to enter the prototyping phase by the end of this year, and start appearing in products in 2008.

The Bluetooth implementation will be in the spectrum above 6 GHz and is expected to provide data rates up to 480 Mbps. The Bluetooth 2.0 specification has data rates up to 3 Mbps.

Analyst reports have forecast Wibree will find a large market in the coming years, with its integration with Bluetooth giving it further impetus.

ABI Research forecasted three months ago that Wibree would find its way in about 810 million devices by 2012.

IMS Research said the adoption of Wibree by Bluetooth has secured its future success and also fills out Bluetooth's technology portfolio.

Companies besides Nokia that have been actively involved in Wibree and its integration with Bluetooth have included Casio, CSR, Epson, ItoM, Logitech, Nordic Semiconductor, ST Microelectronics, Suunto, Taiyo Yuden and Texas Instruments.

Richard Barrett, senior product line manager in Broadcom's wireless personal area networking unit, said Wibree will "extend the universe of devices that can communicate with and extend the value of Bluetooth-enabled PCs, mobile phones, etc.

Wibree is very well-suited for applications that require extremely low power and low data rates. For example, personal area sports and health sensors could report data directly to your phone for further transmission to your home PC or heath care provider.

Other applications may include home automation systems where your lighting or HVAC systems could be activated when you enter your house because it is triggered by the presence of your phone."

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Source: Wireless Week