Bluetooth No Longer Hampered by Lack of Handsets - Report

Despite growing automotive commitment to Bluetooth, efforts have been significantly impaired by a deficit of Bluetooth-enabled mobile handsets in the USA, according to a recent study by technology research firm ABI.

This current lack of compatible handsets is directly attributed to the fact that all current North American Bluetooth handsets operate over GSM/GPRS networks. Because of the lack of satisfactory GSM/GPRS coverage in the region, the adoption of Bluetooth handsets has been hampered. Automakers have also been negatively affected because telephony is the current mainstay for Bluetooth in the vehicle.

While awareness and support of the Bluetooth protocol continues to climb in other devices such as desktop computers, PDAs, and headsets, adoption in mobile handsets is still falling by the wayside. ABI has maintained that a lack of CDMA Bluetooth-enabled handsets will continue to undermine Bluetooth's adoption in the automobile until handset manufacturers and wireless carriers can make a serious commitment to support the protocol.

By the first half of 2004, ABI expects that nearly one third of the mobile handset models available in North America will support Bluetooth. This will represent more than twice the amount available during the same period in 2003. Coupled with newly announced Bluetooth commitments by OEMs such as Acura, Audi, Lexus, Lincoln, Maybach, and Toyota, the use of Bluetooth in automotive applications should experience a significant turning point in in 2004. According to the ABI study, nearly one fifth of the world's vehicles produced in 2008 will feature OEM-installed Bluetooth hardware."

Posted to the site on 8th December 2003