The encyclopedia · Software & IT · Strategic decision · 2006–2010
Bluetooth Low Energy won the IoT by joining Bluetooth, not fighting it
Nokia's 2006 Wibree radio merged into the Bluetooth SIG, and as Bluetooth 4.0 LE in 2010 it became the low-power standard for wearables and sensors.
Nokia · Bluetooth SIG
The solution
In 2006 Bluetooth connected headsets, keyboards and phones but drained batteries too fast for watches, sensors and medical devices that run on button cells for a year or more.
Nokia's research unit introduced Wibree in October 2006 with Broadcom and STMicroelectronics, promising roughly ten times lower power on the same 2.4GHz band. But the industry forum's members — mostly Bluetooth SIG members — preferred one technology, so in June 2007 Wibree joined the Bluetooth specification.
Bluetooth 4.0, announced in December 2009 and finalized in 2010, combined Classic, high-speed and the new low-energy radio. Devices could run for years on a button cell, and because it was Bluetooth, the chips, phones and certification already existed — BLE became the default low-power radio for wearables, beacons and the IoT.
Why it worked
- Merging gave Wibree the SIG's members, certification and brand instantly.
- Dual-mode chips let phones talk to classic and LE devices alike.
- Button-cell operation opened markets Bluetooth couldn't reach.
- One standard avoided the cost and confusion of a format war.
What can be applied
The fastest way to make a new standard ubiquitous is to inherit an installed base: by becoming Bluetooth's low-power mode, Wibree gained the SIG's members and brand, and the IoT got one radio.
Aftermath
Bluetooth Low Energy now underpins wearables, fitness sensors, beacons and smart-home devices, later gaining mesh networking and direction finding; the 2010 Bluetooth 4.0 decision is why one radio covers both headphones and year-long sensors.
Sources
- Bluetooth Technology Overview
- Nokia's ultra low-power Wibree joins Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 4.0 with low energy (almost) finally ready to roll
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