Signature Q1 2009 - (Page 14) In Retrospect | Q1 ’09 “The main point of the launch was to send a strong message that five companies were working together to create a new wireless technology called ‘Bluetooth,’ and that’s exactly what we did.” – Holger Hussmann, Nokia Their plans looked interesting, but we were wondering a bit about the very casual outfits of the Intel people. Actually, we did not mind, as we thought that in the computer industry things are maybe different. That is until we found out that they lost their luggage on the flight. Never mind, it was about the content! So we discussed our LPRF system and Ericsson’s similar MC-Link solution, and we all quickly agreed to move forward together. Nokia studied the MC-Link proposal. There were some logical differences from our solution, but it was astonishingly close. After all, we were two mobile phone companies developing a system with similar requirements, so it was no surprise that the solutions were similar. The study results were showing that both proposals could be combined in a sensible way by using some parts of Ericsson’s MC-Link proposal and some parts of Nokia’s LPRF solution (which ultimately became the first profiles of the Bluetooth wireless specification; for example, the OBEX-based data profiles). Before the big launch event in May 1998, it was a hectic time, trying to make all the legal arrangements, getting the Bluetooth SIG marketing message right, preparing the launch and creating technical demos. As a matter of fact, the launch demos were solely based on Nokia technology as it was more mature by then, but please don’t tell anybody … The main point of the launch was to send a strong message that five companies were working together to create a new wireless technology called “Bluetooth,” and that’s exactly what we did. The five companies – Nokia, Ericsson, IBM, Intel and Toshiba – have worked together ever since to get this done, and along with other member companies we have achieved the excellent results we know today. Press coverage of the launch was fantastic, and the message was strong. A huge hype was created, and then we slowly started to feel rising pressure to deliver. What followed were long meetings, many events, a lot of heated discussions – but all with the common goal to make Bluetooth technology happen. People have been working hard, and most of the people who were on Nokia’s team back then still dream of the old days, regarding that time as the best in their professional career. One of the key reasons the Bluetooth SIG is unique is that the license to the specifications is royalty free. This has kept the technological development and related discussions mainly free from political and intellectual property rights problems; therefore, it contributes to open and fruitful discussions. The early days of Bluetooth technology were really exciting and also really stressful, but the result we see today is more than compensating for those busy early days. But isn’t that always the case with a little baby? There are some long days and short nights, but in the end the results are so amazing that the early hassle is quickly forgotten. Holger Hussmann is head of strategy and operations, chipset solutions, at Nokia, with headquarters in Espoo, Finland. Celebrate Bluetooth technology by sharing your story about the development of wireless connectivity. E-mail us at signature@bluetooth.com. 14 | SIGnature | Bluetooth.org http://www.bluetooth.org
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