Since the Bluetooth Technology Alliance released the Bluetooth 2016.5 technical standard in 0, the development of the wireless audio market has begun to enter the fast lane. According to data from ABI Research, annual shipments of Bluetooth wireless audio products are expected to reach 2023.13 billion in 2027, and this number is expected to continue to grow to 16.<> billion in <>.

At a recent media conference, Ken Kolderup, chief marketing officer of the Bluetooth Technology Alliance, revealed that relying on continuous technological progress, in addition to wireless audio, shipments of Bluetooth products in the industrial, commercial and consumer electronics fields are also growing rapidly.

A set of data can support Ken Kolderup's statement, ABI Research data shows that Bluetooth product shipments in the industrial and commercial fields will exceed 2023 million in 2 and are expected to exceed 2027 million in 7. The data in the consumer electronics sector is even more impressive, with shipments exceeding 16.2027 billion this year and more than 20 billion in <>.

Bluetooth technology can effectively improve factory productivity

Ken Kolderup shared the evolution of Bluetooth technology in industrial and commercial applications. After realizing the new equipment communication topology through the mesh network, the use of Bluetooth in the lighting control system can reduce the lighting energy consumption of industrial and commercial buildings by up to 75%; Bluetooth positioning has newly added "direction finding" function, including the use of arrival angle/departure angle for positioning, to achieve very high-precision indoor positioning, so that the indoor real-time tracking system can provide asset tracking, ensure the safety of employees and other functions.

Bluetooth technology has also been proven to help factories reduce downtime and improve the efficiency of maintenance systems, thereby increasing overall productivity and profits.

It is understood that the Bluetooth Technology Alliance recently launched electronic shelf label system standards and specifications. "Electronic shelf labels are a new market for replacing previous paper displays with e-ink displays. There are already 6 million tags in use, and this number is expected to grow to billions in the coming years." Ken Kolderup said.

Auracast Radio expands the wireless audio market

In the field of wireless audio, Auracast broadcast audio is a new Bluetooth feature that the Bluetooth SIA has recently focused on promoting.

Auracast can be used in audio transmitting devices such as mobile phones, laptops, televisions or public address systems to broadcast to an unlimited number of audio receiving devices such as headphones, speakers or hearing aids. Ken Kolderup revealed that the hearing industry is very optimistic about Auracast, "Compared to traditional technology, Auracast has a relatively low deployment cost, while audio quality is guaranteed, and security and privacy can be guaranteed." So the hearing aid industry wants to deploy this technology in a faster way. ”

According to the Bluetooth SIA, Auracast broadcast audio devices and their deployment in public spaces will grow significantly over the next five years, driving new audio experiences, increasing the demand for Bluetooth audio peripherals, and expanding new capabilities for assistive listening solutions. According to ABI Research, it is expected that by 2030, 250.<> million venues worldwide will support Auracast broadcast audio capabilities, and the growth in Auracast broadcast audio deployment will directly drive the adoption of low-power audio (LE Audio) devices.

Mainstream consumer audio products and listening devices will begin to support Auracast broadcast audio functions this year, and there is an opportunity to see Auracast broadcast audio equipment deployed in public places within this year, allowing more consumers to experience a new life-changing audio experience in their daily activities.

The new Bluetooth feature that has been pinned on high hopes

Ken Kolderup also revealed several new Bluetooth features that have high hopes for:

- High-precision distance measurement

The realization of safe and high-precision ranging between the two Bluetooth devices, with an error of no more than ±10% between the target value and the actual value, will optimize the positioning solution for a wide range of application scenarios such as item finding, digital key solutions and asset tracking systems.

- Higher data throughput

Bluetooth low energy will have a maximum throughput of 8Mbps and will optimize most Bluetooth use cases, such as faster and more when the gamepad and console can synchronize data. Auracast broadcasts can use higher data throughput, higher audio playback of materials, and so on.

Bluetooth low energy in higher frequency bands

The goal of the Bluetooth SIA is to make Bluetooth low energy work in the 5GHz and 6GHz bands, which can bring faster speeds and lower latency to Bluetooth technology than the 2.4G band currently used.