Bluetooth to hit 100Mbits/sec

Bluetooth links with transfer rates in excess of 100Mbits/sec could be available within two years following the resolution of an industry spat over the technology.

Bluetooth extended-data-rate links, the fastest available today, offer only 3Mbits/sec.

The governing Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced that it has selected the Intel-backed Wimedia Alliance flavour of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) wireless to carry its high-speed signal.

This means it has rejected the technology of the rival UWB Forum , backed by Motorola and its chipmaking spinoff Freescale.

UWB can be thought of as a virtual wire with a theoretical throughput of up to 480Mbits/sec, over which any number of communications protocols may be used.

UWB-based wireless USB has already been demonstrated and a 1394 (Firewire) version is in the pipeline.

UWB is designed for short-range device-to-device links and, if its promise is realised, will eliminate the mass of wires needed to link up home entertainment systems.

At the Intel Developer Forum earlier this month, vendors said that cameras capable of uploading their images to a PC using wireless USB will be available by the end of the year.

Mike Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, said there would be some overlap between this technology and high-speed Bluetooth but they would be largely complememtary.

'They are used in different scenarios and I think that will continue. I see Bluetooth as being very strong in peer-to-peer ad-hoc type of situations whereas USB is strong in the host-to peripheral model.'

He said the aim was to work with the Wimedia Alliance to get power requirements down to that of current Bluetooth devices.

UWB was very good at bursting a lot of data in a very short time and Bluetooth was very good at minimising power use in sleep and standby modes. 'I think we can combine the two to get the best of both worlds,' Foley said.

Throughput will be about 100Mbits/sec across a room but could be faster over shorter distances. The spec is expected to be finalised around autumn next year, with products appearing three to six months later.

Stephen Wood, president of the Wimedia Alliance, said the aim was for first generation products to add around $10-$15 to the cost of a device, but this could come down to below $3 in time.

Britain's Bluetooth powerhouse Cambridge Silicon Radio pre-empted the Wimedia decision by announcing its support for the Alliance last month.

Foley admitted that there is nothing to stop the UWB Forum implementing Bluetooth over its own technology.