Bluetooth Core 7.0 includes Bluetooth High Data Throughput, or HDT, an optional feature that the Bluetooth SIG has adopted and expects to arrive in 2027. The technology is aimed at improving wireless data-transfer performance, and it is described as a higher-level of wireless performance for compatible devices.
Bluetooth data limits and the new HDT rate
Bluetooth has long been used for headphones, speakers, keyboards, mice, smartphones, and other connected devices. The technology has also had limits when it comes to moving large amounts of data, especially compared with Wi-Fi. Bluetooth Low Energy, or LE, has supported a maximum bit rate of 2 Mbps since the LE 2M physical layer arrived in 2016.
HDT changes that by adding a new physical layer that allows compatible devices to communicate at up to 7.5 Mbps. That is nearly four times higher than the earlier LE 2M figure. The Bluetooth SIG says the change improves four areas: faster transfers, spectral efficiency, device efficiency, and robustness.
What the speed increase changes
Faster transfers mean devices can exchange more information in the same amount of time. That is said to make file transfers, synchronization, and firmware updates much quicker. Improved spectral efficiency lets devices exchange more data using the wireless resources available to them.
Because devices can send more information in less time, their radios can return to lower-power states sooner. The result is greater device efficiency. Bluetooth HDT is also said to be more robust, which should help devices maintain more consistent wireless connections in demanding environments.
Devices that stand to benefit
The Bluetooth SIG says HDT should be useful for devices that need to move larger amounts of information without giving up too much battery life. It gives several examples, including smartwatches syncing health and fitness data, smart home devices receiving firmware updates, and connected peripherals that need to communicate more often. Smart glasses could send more information to a connected smartphone for AI processing, while wearables could sync larger volumes of sensor data faster. Industrial devices could also gain from more reliable wireless communication and quicker data exchanges.
Premium wireless audio support
The Bluetooth SIG also says one major use for HDT is premium wireless audio. The added bandwidth is said to create room for lossless and high-resolution audio streaming, which has traditionally been difficult through standard Bluetooth connections. It also promises support for multi-channel surround sound and spatial audio.
That means Bluetooth audio should no longer be limited to high-quality stereo only. Bluetooth audio has traditionally relied on codecs and compression such as SBC, AAC, and LDAC to fit within the available bandwidth. HDT is presented as a way to widen that headroom for wireless audio of this kind.
Licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0 International