The Bluetooth wireless standard was almost orphaned last week when its founding father, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, decided to halt design and development of Bluetooth products for the semiconductor industry.
Ericsson emphasized that it is not abandoning the standard but simply shifting focus away from the standard’s semiconductor applications. The company said this corner of the industry is mature, and as a result, many gear-makers are developing Bluetooth components and that consequently it no longer makes business sense for Ericsson to remain in this part of the industry.
Ericsson will still offer Bluetooth in its mobile platforms but the company will stop licensing its Bluetooth Intellectual Property (IP) to other gear-makers for development of Bluetooth equipment, said Johan