Who invented Bluetooth and how does it work?

 

Bluetooth is a method of short-range wireless communication between electronic devices that harnesses the power of radio waves.

But if the radio spectrum stretches from 30 Hz to 300 GHz (the lower the frequency, the longer the range), Bluetooth operates at 2.4 GHz which gives it the right balance between range and data quality.

 

It was conceived by a Dutch engineer Dr Jaap Haartsen at the Swedish mobile giant Ericsson in the 1990s.

In 1998 the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed to develop and promote the technology.

 

The group released Bluetooth 1.0 in 1999 and a year later it began to be used in mobile phones and desktop PCs, making its way into laptops and printers in 2001.

In the mid-2000s, the Bluetooth headset – which allowed people to communicate hands free – became a common sight.