Kickstart for ULP Bluetooth device development

TI reckons its ZigBee expertise will be valuable in developing the first Ultra Low Power Bluetooth (previously known as Wibree) devices.

Texas Instruments is to leverage its expertise and leadership in ZigBee, low-power RF and mobile connectivity to develop leading products and solutions for Ultra Low Power (ULP) Bluetooth (previously known as Wibree).

The recent merger between the Wibree Forum and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) created ULP Bluetooth, the first open technology extending wireless connectivity between mobile devices or PCs and small, button cell battery human interface devices (HIDs), such as watches, wireless keyboards, toys and sports sensors.

TI will use its well-known and proven radio technology in the 2.4GHz frequency band to meet ULP Bluetooth specifications and drive affordable wireless connectivity into the mass market.

TI is already a leading provider of mobile connectivity solutions, such as Bluetooth and ZigBee/802.15.4, making the company well positioned to address the ULP Bluetooth market.

TI will be one of the few companies to support this technology for both mobile handsets and portable, low-power devices - providing seamless interoperability between devices.

"TI fully supports the new ULP Bluetooth open technology and recognises the need for a radio standard that will complement Bluetooth and ZigBee for short- to medium-range wireless connectivity", says Karl Helmer Torvmark, Strategic Marketing, Low-Power Wireless Group at TI.

"TI is committed to providing the market's most competitive and comprehensive solutions for ULP Bluetooth, which will enable customers to deliver complete, low-cost, low-power systems with shorter time to market".

Leveraging expertise with low-power devices, including microcontrollers, and Bluetooth solutions, TI is developing solutions for both types of ULP Bluetooth implementations: a single-mode implementation for watches, sensors and other tiny devices; and a dual-mode implementation for communication with both single-mode and traditional Bluetooth devices such as handsets.

ULP Bluetooth and ZigBee represent complementary technologies, as ZigBee is a low-power infrastructure-oriented mesh networking technology supporting thousands of nodes, whereas ULP Bluetooth is a low-power ad hoc networking technology that links a small number of nodes to devices such as computers and mobile phones.

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