Bluetooth International Standard for Short-Range Wireless Communications

Bluetooth technology is a firmly established communication standard for short-distance wireless communication, connecting devices via a single universal radio link with a short range. Initially, the range of the radio interface was set to 10 meters, but now the second zone has already been determined by Bluetooth specifications - about 100 m. At the same time, there is no need for the connected devices to be in line of sight of each other. In addition, interacting devices can be in motion.

Origin of the name

The technology got its name in honor of the Scandinavian king Harald Bluetooth, famous for the unification of Danish and Norwegian lands. In 1994, Ericsson erected a monument to Harald in the Swedish city of Lund, refreshing episodes of world history in the memory of descendants and giving the monarch the name of a new wireless technology for mobile communications.

Creation and development of technology

1994

In 1994, Ericsson formed a working group to develop a new radio interface that would allow communication between a cell phone and a wireless headset, without being expensive and energy-intensive. According to the project, the technology was supposed to provide:

• worldwide use;
• work with voice and data transmission;
• Ability to set up ad hoc connections
• the ability to withstand interference from other sources in the open lane;
• Very compact size for easy integration with different devices
• negligible power consumption compared to other devices designed for such purposes;
• open interface standard;
• low cost.

1998

In early 1998, the companies, Nokia Corporation, and IBM Toshiba Intel joined the consortium for the development of wireless communications, creating a special working group (Special Interest Group -). SIG Other, smaller organizations also participated in the development.

1999

At the end of 1999, the first description of the new technology was published. It was immediately announced that the created version of the Bluetooth 1.0.B standard is not final and the final specification should be released only after additional checks and modifications.

2002

A year after the release of the first version of the standard, the SIG group published version 1.1 of the Bluetooth specification. In March 2002, the IEEE-SA Chamber of Standards approved a new wireless communications standard, designated IEEE 802.15.1 and created based on the Bluetooth 1.1 specification.

2004

In 2004, Bluetooth 2.0 technology was developed, which increased the data transfer rate to 2.1 Mbps, and the functionality of Bluetooth devices was expanded in 2007 with the advent of Bluetooth 2.1.

2008

The last Bluetooth update was in August 2008, when Bluetooth SIG introduced version 2.1 + EDR. At that time, power consumption was reduced and data protection was increased.

2009: Bluetooth 3.0

In April 2009, the Bluetooth SIG consortium announced the release of a new version of Bluetooth wireless data technology. The new, third version of Bluetooth will provide a data transfer rate comparable to the Wi-Fi standard, which is several times higher than Bluetooth 2.1. According to a consortium press release, "the new specification will allow large video files, music track collections and photo libraries to be transferred in seconds."

The new specification will include Enhanced Power Control (EPC) technology, which will provide a more robust connection between Bluetooth devices, preventing it from breaking when there are obstacles to the signal.

The consortium announced that the data transfer rate from one third-generation Bluetooth device to another will be 300 Mbps.

2010: Bluetooth 4.0

The low-power Bluetooth 4.0 wireless interface specifications are finally approved. According to representatives of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which is responsible for its standardization, the first devices to support this technology will be smart measuring devices and laptop computers. And they will appear on the market in 2010.

The Bluetooth 4.0 standard is an upgraded version of the previous version of the technology, Bluetooth 3.0, which was prepared in 2009. The new version includes specifications to reduce power consumption when transferring small portions of data over short distances. This also includes the high-speed forwarding capabilities introduced in Bluetooth 3.0 and allowing devices to switch to 802.11 wireless LANs for data transfer at speeds up to 25 Mbps.

It is expected that the technology will primarily find application in watches, intelligent measuring devices, pedometers and other devices running on compact batteries. Laptops and smartphones will eventually also be equipped with Bluetooth 4.0 interfaces and will be able to collect data coming from other devices. Among other things, this will help to carry out constant monitoring of the state of health of people and monitor the effective use of electricity.

Wireless data features that are emerging in newer electronic devices make it easier to communicate with other devices. However, the use of Wi-Fi technology for this purpose is not optimal: it requires constant connection, which negatively affects the battery life of devices. Thanks to Bluetooth 4.0, you can reduce power consumption when organizing the exchange of small portions of data (including service) over short distances.

Currently, there are other wireless technologies that can compete with Bluetooth 4.0. The Nike + iPod kit uses proprietary technology that allows you to quickly transfer small portions of data from a special sensor mounted in Nike shoes to devices Apple iPod and. At the iPhone end of June, Monster announced Vision Max 3D glasses, which exchange information with a TV via low-power wireless technology, which was developed as part of the Zigbee Alliance project.

The Bluetooth SIG Association brings together more than 13 thousand companies, including such well-known manufacturers as Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola and Nokia Corporation.

2014: Bluetooth 4.2

In early December 2014, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group released a technical specification for Bluetooth 4.2 wireless data transmission technology. The standard has been significantly improved in terms of speed characteristics and information security.

The standard promises to officially add the ability to directly connect to the Network. That is, devices with Bluetooth 4.2 support will be able not only to directly communicate with each other, but also to connect to the Internet (thanks to support for the IPv6/6LoWPAN protocol) through the corresponding access points.

The key idea behind the development of the standard is that any devices can be connected to each other using Bluetooth. That is, in fact, we are talking about the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). According to estimates by the Harvard Business Review and Goldman Sachs, 28 billion "things" will be connected to the Internet of Things in 2020. Bluetooth developers claim a certain (apparently significant) share of this pie. Given the fact that Bluetooth technology is energy efficient enough, the chances of success are high.

Also, the Bluetooth specification has become safer. From now on, active Bluetooth devices will be more difficult to track or intercept the corresponding traffic until the user independently allows this in the settings. New Bluetooth gadgets will be able to transfer data at a speed of 2.5 times more than when using the previous version of the protocol. This was achieved by increasing the size of the standard data packet.

The first Bluetooth 4.2 enabled devices are expected to be introduced in early 2015. Manufacturers have not yet announced the exact dates.

2016: Bluetooth 5

On June 17, 2016, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) consortium introduced the next version of the Bluetooth standard - 5. Its appearance on the commercial market is scheduled for late 2016 or early 2017^[1], the^[1]

Bluetooth 5 will offer four times the range, twice the data transfer rate and eight times the capacity of a contactless radio message.

This is the first significant update to the standard since 2009, when Bluetooth 4 saw the broadcast.

With the increase in the capacity of radio messages, it will become possible to transmit more complex, intelligent information. This will change the way Bluetooth devices transfer information. The model of creating a pair will be a thing of the past. The so-called contactless connection will come in its place, according to Bluetooth SIG.

Global shipments of Bluetooth-enabled devices will reach 371 million by 2020, according to ABI Research. The eight-fold increased capacity of Bluetooth 5 radio messages will provide opportunities for the distribution of beacons and terrain-specific services in the fields of automation, industry and entrepreneurship.

Today, 8.2 billion Bluetooth devices are used in the world. Thanks to the further development of Bluetooth, including the release of Bluetooth 5, by 2020 this technology will be present in one third of all launched IoT devices. Mark Powell, Executive Director Bluetooth SIG

2017

Bluetooth virus BlueBorne was able to open a neighboring device in 10 seconds

Armis Labs specialists discovered in September 2017 a virus that can spread and infect smartphones and other devices via Bluetooth without the participation of users, writes Wired^[2].

This hacking method was named BlueBorne, it exploits vulnerabilities in the Bluetooth protocol, is transmitted from one device to another, and the virus acts so that users are unaware that their system was hacked^[3].

BlueBorne could lead to the same massive infection as WannaCry virus, according to Ben Seri, head of research at Armis Labs. Infection can occur within ten seconds after the program detects a vulnerability when scanning nearby devices with Bluetooth enabled.

Three operating systems manufacturers have already announced that they have released updates to eliminate vulnerabilities. Apple said that BlueBorne is not afraid of systems on iOS 10 or newer versions, Windows released a corresponding "patch" back in July, and Google released an update in August, but its installation may take some time. ​Linux is also developing a way to protect against a new virus, but this operating system runs many devices (such as televisions) that either don't receive updates or do so too rarely.

Bluetooth Mesh

In mid-July, the Bluetooth SIG organization, which is developing wireless technology, announced the Bluetooth multi-cell format.^[4]

The presented Bluetooth standard for data transmission uses a virtual network of many cells. Data in the network is transmitted from one cell to another until it reaches the destination.

The Bluetooth Mesh standard can be applied, for example, if you need to send data from a sensor in one room to a computer in another in the same apartment. Information will be transmitted through intermediate nodes: smartphones, tablets, computers and any other devices that support the technology.

Including Bluetooth Mesh can be useful in organizing the interaction of Internet of Things (IoT) devices for a smart home. Sensors and sensors will be able to communicate with the central node over long distances. A similar sending of the signal directly to the receiver would require more energy than transmission to the nearest cell. As a result, IoT devices will be able to work longer on one battery, while they will not need to be wired.

The peculiarity of Bluetooth Mesh is that it does not require changing the hardware "filling" of the device. The standard can work on all devices with Bluetooth 4.0 and 5.0, but a software update is required.

Toshiba Bluetooth Low Power Product Series Supports Bluetooth Mesh Standard

Toshiba's mesh networking solutions provide increased range and increased reliability in Bluetooth communications.

On August 9, 2017, Toshiba Electronics Europe announced that the low-power Bluetooth series now supports the Bluetooth Mesh standard. The combination of the Bluetooth Mesh 1.0 standard and Toshiba application software allows Toshiba low-power Bluetooth products to simultaneously increase the range and reliability of communication by using a Bluetooth network with mesh topology, as well as increase battery life.

With a combination of an open mesh networking solution and proprietary Bluetooth communications solutions, Toshiba enhances the reliability of communication based on the world's leading communications technology and extends support for rapidly growing segments such as industrial automation, building and lighting management.

Previously, expanding the effective radius of communication using Bluetooth technology with low power consumption or transmitting a signal through a large number of walls required an increase in transmission power, which negatively affected battery life. High power transmission was the main way to solve problems such as radio frequency interference in the industrial environment or signaling through thick concrete walls. This approach had significant limitations, and proved ineffective for battery-powered devices, as well as for environments with unfavorable radio frequency environments.

Support for the new Bluetooth Mesh 1.0 network standard allows Toshiba low-power Bluetooth devices to confidently and reliably relay messages over a mesh topology network without requiring direct connections between devices. This increases the range and reliability of low-power Bluetooth communications without increasing power requirements.

With solutions for low-power Bluetooth systems, Toshiba can also extend the communication radius and increase the signal power to operate more than 300 m in open space at low transmitter and receiver power levels. Thanks to the support for Bluetooth Mesh technology, Toshiba products serve as a fully functional solution, providing a longer range for Bluetooth version 4.2 than previous Bluetooth peer-to-peer connections.

2019: Criminals use Bluetooth scanners to find expensive cars

In November 2019, it became known that criminals in San Francisco use Bluetooth scanners to search for expensive electronics in cars and rob them.

Attackers using special equipment find laptops, smartphones and other gadgets in cars. The San Jose Police Department acknowledged the threat.

According to Deral Heiland, an IoT security specialist at the Rapid7 information security company, many devices with Bluetooth (BT) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) modules emit signals. But laptops with their screen covers closed should not do this if they are in hibernation mode.

Heyland recommends users turn off Bluetooth when the module is not in use. The expert himself does just that.

People often refer to their own BT and BLE devices on their phones with very personal names. What I just didn't see: phone numbers, full name, and even passwords for access. Therefore, I will immediately give advice, turn off Bluetooth if you do not use it, and never give the device a name that contains personal information, the expert said.

He also recommended that users store completely disconnected devices in cars to prevent attackers from tracking this equipment.

However, the problem is aggravated by vulnerabilities in the Bluetooth standard. One of them was previously reported by the organization for standardization of Bluetooth technology. Using a "hole" in encryption technology, an attacker can gain access to information on the device and intercept the traffic that gadgets exchange among themselves.

To carry out such an attack, several conditions must be met: the attacker must be within the range of the established connection, and both attacked gadgets must use Bluetooth BR/EDR, while the vulnerability will affect each of the devices.^[5]

2020: Why you need to turn off Bluetooth on your smartphone

The Bluetooth network turned on on the smartphone can not only prematurely discharge the device, but also lead to an attack by intruders that is invisible to the user, Vojtech Boček, senior software engineer for digital security at Avast, told RIA Novosti ^[6].

"If users keep Bluetooth always on and available for detection, it can drain the battery a little faster," the expert warns.

In addition, Bluetooth automatically enters detection mode for a short time so that the user can connect to another device over the network. This function works for the convenience of the user, but at the same time increases the risk of connecting strangers to the smartphone.

"If you turn off Bluetooth detection mode or simply turn off Bluetooth completely, it will prevent other devices from trying to send data or connect to your phone. However, even if Bluetooth is turned on, users will still have to confirm this action before accepting the attachment or connecting to other smartphones. Such pop-ups can be distracting or inconvenient, so it is recommended to turn off this feature completely, "Bocek said.

To carry out cyberattacks, an attacker first needs to find out the MAC address of the Bluetooth adapter. 'It's much easier to do if the phone can be found. Therefore, of course, it will be better to turn off Bluetooth on a smartphone or make it inaccessible to other devices when you do not use it, "the expert emphasized.

According to him, the technology has a number of vulnerabilities, but there is no cause for concern: the capabilities and versions of Bluetooth are constantly being updated.

2025: A satellite system has been launched to operate a global Bluetooth network. Any device will be able to connect to it

In August 2025, Muon Space announced a new satellite platform, MuSat XL, designed to create the world's first global Bluetooth network through spacecraft in low Earth orbit. The technology will allow any Bluetooth Low Energy enabled device to connect to a satellite network to transmit data anywhere on the planet without using traditional ground infrastructure. The first customer of the platform was the Seattle-based Hubble Network, which successfully made the first direct Bluetooth connection to the satellite in 2024. Read more here.

Market estimates

2024: Sales of Bluetooth chips in the world reached $12.51 billion at the end of the year

In 2024, the global market for Bluetooth chips amounted to $12.51 billion. Demand for such chips is growing steadily, as stated in the Maximize Market Research review, which TAdviser got acquainted with in early October 2025.

One of the main drivers of the analytics industry is the increase in sales of wireless-enabled consumer electronics. Bluetooth chips are used in smartphones, tablets, laptops, all kinds of wearable gadgets, audio devices, car infotainment systems, smart home equipment, etc. The popularity of Bluetooth is due to the convenience and energy efficiency of this wireless technology, as well as the ease of integration with a wide range of equipment. The technology allows you to connect many different devices - from peripherals to speakers - without the need for complex settings.

Another industry driver is the rapid expansion of the IoT ecosystem. According to data for 2024, there were about 18-20 billion IoT devices on the global market, and their number continues to grow rapidly. Experts believe that by 2030 this figure will exceed 40 billion. Many of these devices use Bluetooth chips with support for energy-saving Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mode: this allows equipment and sensors to operate for a long time from small batteries. The latest Bluetooth specifications provide a range of up to 240 meters, which opens up additional possibilities. At the same time, the Bluetooth Mesh protocol allows you to form mesh networks, so that devices can exchange data throughout an entire building or over a large area.

The growing demand for Bluetooth-enabled smart wireless sensors is having a positive impact on the market. Such sensors can be used, in particular, to monitor environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity. Bluetooth technology is used in factories to monitor and control equipment in difficult conditions when wired communication is difficult or impossible. In addition, Bluetooth wireless is in demand in the areas of logistics and asset tracking.

In terms of Bluetooth chip applications, the authors of the study segment the market into audio equipment and entertainment devices, human-machine interfaces (HID), smartphones and tablets, wearable gadgets, etc. In 2024, the largest share of revenue was provided by products of the first of these categories: these are fully wireless in-ear headphones (TWS), Bluetooth speakers, car infotainment centers, etc. The supported standard is dominated by Bluetooth 4.0 products, which account for more than 50% of sales in monetary terms. From a geographical point of view, North America and the Asia-Pacific region are leading. Globally, the major industry players are:

• Qualcomm;
• Texas Instruments;
• Silicon Laboratories;
• Microchip Technology;
• Amp'ed RF Wireless Technology;
• STMicroelectronics;
• NXP Semiconductors;
• Toshiba;
• Nordic Semiconductor;
• Renesas Electronics;
• Murata Manufacturing;
• Taiyo Yuden;
• Panasonic;
• Telink Semiconductor;
• MediaTek;
• Realtek Semiconductor.

Analysts at Maximize Market Research believe that in the future, the average annual growth rate in complex percentages (CAGR) in the global Bluetooth chip market will be 12.5%. Thus, by 2032, costs may increase to $32.1 billion.^[7]

Bluetooth Specifications

For the operation of the Bluetooth radio interface, the so-called lower (2.45 GHz) ISM range (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) is used, designed for the operation of industrial, scientific and medical devices. A feature of this range is that in almost all countries of the world (including Russia) it is free from licensing, that is, no additional permission is required to use certified transmitting equipment operating at these frequencies.

The channel width for Bluetooth devices is 723.2 kbps in asynchronous mode or 433.9 kbps in fully synchronous mode. Through a Bluetooth connection, you can transmit audio information - through 3 channels of 64 kbps each, if other data is not transmitted. Combined data and voice transmission is also possible.

The principle of operation and connection of Bluetooth devices

Initially, all Bluetooth devices are in Standby mode, in which they listen to 32 fixed frequencies every 1.28 seconds. The device, being in an unfamiliar environment, begins to send requests at these frequencies.

When the request is received, the Bluetooth device responds to it according to the mode in which it is located. In the discoverable mode, the device always responds to all received requests. The limited discoverable mode implies that the device can only respond to requests for a limited time or under other specific conditions. The third mode, non-discoverable mode, prevents the device from responding to the request.

In addition, when connected, the device can be connected mode or non-connected mode. In the second case, the device does not allow you to configure a number of connection parameters and exchange data.

After mutual detection of the device, the frequency range used, page size, number and order of frequency changes and other physical parameters of the connection are determined.

Each Bluetooth device has a globally unique address (analogous to the MAC addresses of network cards), but at the user level, the device name is usually used, which can be any and not unique. The name can be up to 248 bytes long and use the code page according to Unicode UTF-8.

Bluetooth devices can establish connections not only point-to-point, but, which is the main point-to-point connection. At the same time, they are combined into piconets. The connection procedure is initiated by one, and any, of the devices, which becomes the master in the piconet. At the same time, there can be no more than seven slave devices in one piconet.

Using Bluetooth

The main use of Bluetooth is the creation of personal networks (PAN, or private area networks), including such diverse devices as mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, computers and even microwave ovens and refrigerators. The voice capability allows the Bluetooth interface to be embedded in wireless phones or, for example, wireless headsets for cellular phones. The nodes of the personal network may be any devices having a need to obtain information or having the necessary information.

Bluetooth with support for biometrics, GPS and IPv6

The proposed plan for the further development of Bluetooth was unofficially obtained in the summer of 2013 from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), allegedly showing what functionality of the next three iterations of the wireless protocol would be available to both developers and users.

According to the document, future versions of Bluetooth will boast support for biometrics, GPS and IPv6.

According to MYCE, the confidential document predicts that Bluetooth LE, or Bluetooth Low Energy, is likely to be one of the main areas focused on extending battery life for increasingly smaller devices.

"Of the main possibilities planned for the debut, the most interesting is the positioning functions, which can fit well with Apple's recent acquisition of WiFiSLAM, a small firm that created" internal GPS "technology based on the Wi-Fi standard," explained AppleInsider.

"The new

Bluetooth iteration is expected to be ready in 2014 and will be based on an expanded package structure that allows for direction finding, motion tracking and positioning of" internal GPS. "

Meanwhile, engineers are also working to integrate IPv6 into Bluetooth LE - this would allow each Bluetooth-compatible device to be assigned a unique identifier (IP address), allowing real-world objects to be discovered and accessible over the Internet.

Unsurprisingly, future versions of Bluetooth will also offer higher transfer rates, lower power consumption, extended range and increased privacy.

Competing technologies

• Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Di) is a wireless data transfer protocol that is based on Wi-Fi, but is easier to configure. Its main advantages are the connection speed 12 times higher than Bluetooth, the communication range is up to 100 meters, and most importantly - good security.

• Visible Light Communication (VLC) - In 2011, using light waves emitted from white LED sources that are modulated at a certain frequency, scientists from Germany managed to reset a file from one computer to another at a speed of 10 megabits per second. No cables or wireless routers were used . Only light waves whose oscillation is invisible to the human eye. The range of the technology, which is called Visible Light Communication or simply VLC about 5 meters. The developers emphasize the incredible security of data transmission from interception.

Notes