Signature Q3 2008

By Leo Larsen | Photography by Fredrik Clement | Q3 ’08 RETROSPECT I am chief technology ofﬁcer of GN Netcom, a Danish company that has been designing, producing and selling headsets for more than 35 years. Originally, GN Netcom focused on headsets for heavy telephony users, such as call center operators, receptionists, etc. We have since expanded our product portfolio to include products for both the ofﬁce environment and the mobile environment. Several of our products are sold under the brand name Jabra. This is the story of how GN Netcom developed the ﬁrst qualiﬁed Bluetooth enabled headset. In the summer of 1998, I was asked to go to a conference in Atlanta in October. It was about a new wireless technology called “Bluetooth,” which had been recently announced, and it was important for GN Netcom to see what it was all about. So off I went to sunny Atlanta. They may seem ubiquitous today. At that time, GN Netcom had a vision. We knew that But when the first qualified Bluetooth no one liked being “chained” to their desk or their phone. A wireless connection between the headset and the phone enabled headset debuted at CeBIT 2000, would be a winner. To make our vision come true, we had it was a groundbreaking innovation. been working on wireless projects for years and had tested out all possible solutions and frequency bands worldwide. Our work had focused on solutions in the 200 MHz range. We had investigated infrared and inductive technologies and turned them down. GN Netcom had even acquired a U.S.-based company that had designed a wireless solution, based on infrared; it ﬂopped in the market. We developed – and eventually took to market – a so-called “belt pack” solution, where the headset connected to a small box worn on a belt. Not totally wireless! This was a 900 MHz FM RF solution, which made it a U.S. product only. To enable sales of the same product in Europe, we had to design new hardware based on DECT technology. This was an EU product only. Then GN Netcom started working with a small Swedish company that seemed to have a very attractive solution. This solution was designed for the 433 MHz frequency band and was, in principle, solving the same problem as the Bluetooth Class 2 devices today. The only roadblock was determining how to work the prototype, which was based on discrete conventional components, into an integrated chip. But, before the chip was close to being ready, the 433 MHz band was banned for voice applications in Europe. We could possibly get a waiver to sell the solution in Denmark for a couple of years, but that would hardly open up global markets. Headset History 12 | SIGnature | Bluetooth.org http://bluetooth.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Signature Q3 2008

Signature Q3 2008 Contents Connect: Growing Markets Inbox: Spread the Word Ask the SIG: The Fast Lane In the News Perspectives: Views From APAC Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: Headset History Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: Headset History Bluetooth Technology @ Play: Unplug Your Fun Bluetooth Technology Interactive: Wireless Tourism Checkout: Groovy Gadgets Bluetooth Wireless Explorer: Mind Games Bluetooth Technology 101: Ads You Like It Bluetooth Technology 501: Group Efforts Wacky Apps: What’s NXT? Get in the Game: If The Glove Fits ... Revolution: The Space Age

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