The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced that their next major release will be introduced some time in late 2016 or early 2017. This new release will be called Bluetooth 5 and will include significantly increased range, speed, and broadcast messaging capabilities. Extending range will deliver robust, reliable Internet of Things (IoT) connections that make full-home, building and outdoor use cases a reality. Higher speeds will send data faster and optimize responsiveness. Increasing broadcast capacity will propel the next generation of “connectionless” services like beacons and location-relevant information and navigation. These Bluetooth advancements open up more possibilities and enable SIG companies (over 30,000 member companies) to build an accessible, interoperable IoT.
Mark Powell, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG said - “Bluetooth 5 will transform the way people experience the IoT by making it something that happens simply and seamlessly around them.” Increasing operation range will enable connections to IoT devices that extend far beyond the walls of a typical home, while increasing speed supports faster data transfers and software updates for devices. And now with the ability to broadcast a much richer set of information, Bluetooth 5 will make beacons, location awareness, and other connectionless services an even more relevant part of an effortless and seamless IoT experience.
This new technology will quadruple range and double speed of low energy connections while increasing the capacity of connectionless data broadcasts by 800 percent. It achieves all this alongside its industry-leading low power performance. With the major boost in broadcast messaging capacity, the data being transferred will be richer, more intelligent. This will redefine the way Bluetooth devices transmit information, moving away from the app-paired-to-device model to a connectionless IoT where there is less need to download an app or connect the app to a device.
There are over 8 billion Bluetooth products in use, and the enhancements in Bluetooth 5 and planned future Bluetooth technical advancements mean that Bluetooth will be in more than one-third of all installed IoT devices by 2020. According to a report by ABI Research, More than 371 million Bluetooth enabled beacons are projected to ship by 2020. With eight times the broadcast messaging capacity, Bluetooth 5 will further propel the adoption and deployment of beacons and location-based services in the home automation, enterprise, and industrial markets. In scenarios where contextual awareness like navigation and pin-point location are crucial - such as hassle-free airport navigation experiences, asset tracking of warehouse inventory, emergency response, even smart city infrastructure that helps the visually impaired be more mobile - Bluetooth 5 will send custom information people actually find useful in that moment without connection and application barriers.
