The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), Inc. and the GSM Association (GSMA) today announced that they have started joint work to explore the impact of Bluetooth(TM) wireless technology on GSM and 3G networks, services and terminals. Members from the Bluetooth SIG and GSMA Terminals working group are working together to educate both organizations' members about the value-added applications enabled by Bluetooth wireless and GSM technologies. This includes an evaluation of interoperability and coexistence issues of short-range wireless technologies such as Bluetooth on mobile terminals and services.

"It is expected that in the next few years Bluetooth will become a common feature of mobile phones," said David Hills, Executive Technology Director, GSMA. "The opportunities for operators, service providers and consumer electronics vendors to play a key role in defining new revenue-generating applications are virtually unexplored. It is our aim to continue these activities so that we can make a positive contribution to our business through Bluetooth technology."

"Every industry, including carries and services providers, are looking for ways to increase revenue while improving customer loyalty. Short-range wireless technologies such as Bluetooth provide valuable consumer benefits that are expected to help drive demand for newer, more feature-rich mobile handsets while providing convenient wireless links between handsets and products like handhelds, personal computers and automobiles. Additionally the effort will explore potential interoperability issues," said Mike McCamon, Executive Director, Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

Currently there are over 650 qualified products that implement the Bluetooth wireless specification of which an increasing number are consumer products. This week over 150 exhibitors are showcasing Bluetooth wireless technology enabled products at the Bluetooth Congress 2002 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Many of these innovative products utilize GSM networks to deliver additional benefits for consumers, wireless carriers and application developers.

About the Bluetooth SIG

Bluetooth(TM) wireless technology is set to revolutionize the personal connectivity market by providing freedom from wired connections. It is a specification for a small-form factor, low-cost radio solution providing links between mobile computers, mobile phones and other portable handheld devices, and connectivity to the Internet. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, and network industries, is driving development of the technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes promoter group companies 3Com, Agere, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, and hundreds of Associate and Adopter member companies.

About the GSM Association

The GSM Association is the world's leading wireless industry representative body, consisting of more than 630 second and third generation wireless network operators and key manufacturers and suppliers to the wireless industry. The Association's members provide digital wireless services to more than 684 million customers (end April 2002). The GSM family of wireless communications platforms account for approximately 71 percent of the total digital wireless market today. The GSM Association is a unique organization, with a truly global reach, offering a full range of business and technical services to its members. Its vision is of a seamless, limitless, world of wireless communications.