Improved bandwidth and lower power consumption are set to be implemented in an upgraded specification known as Bluetooth Version 2.0 + EDR (enhanced data rate) by the end of 2004, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group said in a statement. Maximum throughput will increase to 3Mbps, fast enough for streaming CD quality audio and enough to connect several devices simultaneously.

Next year will see intelligent allocation of bandwidth added to the Bluetooth mix, with traffic prioritized based on the applications being used. The technology will also gain the ability for one master device to support 255 slave devices, instead of today's maximum of seven. The Bluetooth SIG said this capability will make the technology suitable for use in sensor networks, of the type that is currently catered for by emerging technologies such as Zigbee. Further power cuts will also be implemented.

By 2006, the technology is also scheduled to receive multi-cast capabilities, allowing the same message to be sent to multiple devices simultaneously. Privacy, a much-discussed subject among in Bluetooth users after recent outbreaks of Bluejacking, is also set also be improved. The range over which Bluetooth devices communicate will be extended to around 100m.

Devices based on Bluetooth Version 2.0 + EDR are expected to hit the market "in the next six to nine months."