Bluetooth 5 to Be Launched This Week with 4x Speed, 2x Range

Bluetooth Special Interest Group SIG official logo

In an e-mail sent by Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), executive director Mark Powell states that Bluetooth 5 will also be capable of data transfers up to 2Mbps and a maximum range of 300 meters in optimal conditions.

Bluetooth 5 will also feature larger ā€œadvertising packetsā€, which allows Bluetooth devices to send information to other Bluetooth devices even if they are not paired. Examples of information revealed by ā€œpacketsā€ are names of other Bluetooth devices within range.

A similar technology is used by for Macs and iDevices, and can be useful for Bluetooth beacons or other location profile devices such as 's Treasure Tag.

ā€œBy adding significantly more capacity to advertising transmissions, Bluetooth 5 will further propel the adoption and deployment of beacons and location-based services to users around the world,ā€ Powell said in the letter.

He adds that Bluetooth 5 will be marketed without the full version-number (Bluetooth 5.1, Bluetooth 5.2, etc.), which follows a general rebranding last January.

ā€œOur new naming approach is focused on simplifying our marketing, communicating user benefits more effectively and making it easier to signal significant technology updates to the market,ā€ he said.

New Bluetooth versions usually require new Bluetooth hardware. Bluetooth 5.0 devices and accessories will likely appear in the next few months.