BLUETOOTH SIG TESTING TOOL SETS INDUSTRY EXAMPLE

19 September 2007, 9:26am

Profile Tuning Suite drives costs down as product quantity and quality soars

Bellevue, WA – Sept. 18, 2007 – The Profile Tuning Suite (PTS) is one of many valuable internal programs that set the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) apart and make it an attractive “umbrella organization” for young, promising wireless technologies. Created by the Bluetooth SIG and introduced last year for its 9,000 members, the PTS is a one-of-a-kind tool that automates Bluetooth profile testing to reduce the cost and time associated with qualification and better ensure Bluetooth device interoperability at the application level.

The PTS runs on a personal computer and can simulate any Bluetooth device or profile. Companies use it to quickly test new devices with a wide variety of existing applications to improve interoperability with the over one billion Bluetooth devices already in consumers’ hands. Samsung qualifies more Bluetooth devices than any other company in the world with 114 listings so far in 2007. Stated Pete Skarzynski, senior vice president of Samsung Telecommunications America: “Time is money, especially in the wireless industry. The PTS tool from the Bluetooth SIG helps us to decrease qualification time of our Bluetooth devices while increasing quality.”

Bluetooth technology is available in a wider range of devices and price points than ever before. At the end of September, IMS Research will release their annual report, The Worldwide Market for Bluetooth, available to Bluetooth SIG promoters and associate members for free and adopter members for a 25% discount. Analyst Fiona Thomson provides a preview of her findings stating, “Global Bluetooth attachment rates for mobile phones are at 46.7% in 2007, up from 40% in 2006. This figure includes regional attach rates for the Americas, EMEA and Asia at 46.4%, 51.2% and 42.7%, respectively. Notably high, the percentage of mobile phones with Bluetooth technology in North America and Western Europe has reached over 60% and 70% respectively for the first time ever.” According to a survey released by research firm Millward Brown and the Bluetooth SIG in March of 2007, an average of 81 percent of consumers are aware of Bluetooth technology, up from 73 percent the previous year.

The Bluetooth SIG works to maintain Bluetooth technology’s leadership in the personal area networking (PAN) market by evolving and developing programs and tools for its members. “The PTS is unique to the industry and will continue to play an important role in the accelerated growth of Bluetooth technology,” said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. “It is also one of many SIG programs that enticed other wireless organizations like the WiMedia Alliance and Wibree Forum to work with the Bluetooth SIG to bring high speed and ultra low power Bluetooth technology to market.”

The PTS is free of charge for promoter and associate members. Members can find more information about the PTS and the Bluetooth SIG’s full qualification program at

https://programs.bluetooth.org/technical/testtools/pts/whyuse.htm.

www.bluetooth.com

Geo: International