Bluetooth LE Could Boost Headset and True Wireless Audio Markets, Says ABI

Shipments of Bluetooth Low Energy devices are forecast to reach 1.6 billion by 2023, a 27 percent compound annual growth rate, due to “ubiquitous support” in mobile devices, reported ABI Research Tuesday. Widespread mobile device integration and the ability to support mesh networking, beacon functionality, centimeter-level location accuracy and radio direction finding (RDF) are driving BLE’s use in smart consumer devices, large-scale home and commercial building automation environments and real-time location service deployments with stringent accuracy requirements, said analyst Andrew Zignani. Beginning next year, high-quality audio streaming over BLE could boost the headset and the emerging true wireless audio device markets, Zignani said, citing an audio-over-BLE proof of concept using Dialog’s SmartBond SoC demonstrated at CES. The researcher expects the Bluetooth audio market to take advantage of upcoming enhancements to support “truly cable-free earbud experiences," but it could take “some time for the standardization process to translate to wider mobile and ecosystem support.” BLE chipset providers continue to innovate to provide further improvements in power consumption, further extending battery life and enabling support for battery-free devices via energy harvesting, he said, mentioning Nordic Semiconductor, Dialog Semiconductor, Silicon Labs, Texas Instruments, Microchip, Cypress, STMicroelectronics, Atmosic, NXP, CEVA and Imagination as suppliers invested in the BLE ecosystem.