10Meters News Service

February 13, 2002 – Security issues are not likely to derail Bluetooth as the wireless networking standard moves into the mainstream, according to new research from Frost & Sullivan.

Noting that Bluetooth is back in the news "following ill-conceived reports of the technologies demise during 2001," the Frost & Sullivan report suggests that in terms of security, "the situation for Bluetooth looks much rosier than it did for Wireless LAN."

One reason cited by the international marketing consulting firm: the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has "built in some fairly robust security features" and the specifications "should provide more than enough security options and features for most users, especially if they follow good data security practices anyway."

The Frost & Sullivan report said that security for highly sensitive data will require stronger tools and noted development in that area by Pocit Labs and Red-M.

The Frost & Sullivan report also covered interoperability, and while it found "threats," the report concludes that the problems may be solved before the impact is widely felt.

The report also notes that Bluetooth-enabled devices such as headsets and printers are unlikely ever to require interoperability.

In terms of interoperability, Frost & Sullivan said that the "constant revisions" of the Bluetooth specifications since the release of version 1.1 are being felt today. However, those shipments "were fairly limited" and their impact on "interoperability may have a short life span."

A more serious threat, according to Frost & Sullivan, is "the booming development of different Bluetooth profiles."

Over the last two years the number of different profiles has increased from around 15 to over 60, most of the protocols having so far failed to achieve official adoption, said Frost & Sullivan.

"This could lead to interoperability problems where a user tries to perform an application that is not supported by one of the devices," said Frost & Sullivan.

Profiles are applications-specific configurations of the protocols that provide Bluetooth with its different functions.

The key to overcoming interoperability problems, said Frost & Sullivan, is "more leadership ... from the Bluetooth SIG." However, that leadership has not emerged, the report said.

What is gaining momentum: calls for bench-marking from the distribution channels. Quoting Hugh Sheridan, CEO of Bluetooth reseller Alltalking.com, "Interoperability is one of the most crucial issues facing Bluetooth today. It is down to the developers, vendors, resellers and the Bluetooth SIG to guarantee the best user experience possible."

For more information on the Frost & Sullivan Bluetooth report, visit frost.com