October 25-30, 1998	Dallas, Texas

Mahmoud Naghshineh will present a report on "Bluetooth," a technology that will revolutionize wireless connectivity for personal and business mobile devices, enabling seamless voice and data transmission via wireless, or short-range radio. This new technology will allow users to connect a wide range of devices easily and quickly, without the need for cables, expanding communications capabilities for mobile computers, mobile phones and other mobile devices, both in and out of the office.

The open specification for this innovative technology, code-named "Bluetooth", is being developed through the combined contributions of the members of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The SIG was formed in early 1998 as a result of the global commitment of the five founding companies to develop the concept towards a technology standard.

By working together closely, the five companies have combined their individual specialist expertise to create "Bluetooth." Ericsson contributed the basic radio technology expertise; Toshiba and IBM are developing a common specification for integrating "Bluetooth" technology into mobile devices; Intel is contributing its advanced chip and software expertise and Nokia, contributes expertise in radio technology and mobile handset software.

"Bluetooth" utilizes a short-range radio link to exchange information, enabling effortless wireless connectivity between mobile phones, mobile PCs, handheld computers and other peripherals. The radio will operate on the globally available 2.45GHz ISM 'free band', allowing international travelers to use "Bluetooth"-enabled equipment worldwide. The new initiative is modeled after other successful industry standards such as PCI and AGP to deliver products that inter-operate.

"Bluetooth" will eliminate the need for business travelers to purchase or carry numerous, often proprietary cables by allowing multiple devices to communicate with each other through a single port. Enabled devices will not need to remain within line-of-sight, and can maintain an uninterrupted connection when in motion, or even when placed in a pocket or briefcase.

"Bluetooth" technology will offer new ways in which a user can use personal mobile devices, both for professional and personal use. For example, users will be alerted to, and can respond to, incoming e-mail via their mobile phone, even while their mobile PC remains in its carrying case. When the PC receives an e-mail message, an alert will sound on the mobile phone. It is then possible to browse incoming e-mails immediately, reading the contents on the display of the mobile phone. Users will be able to access the Internet via a completely wireless connection routed either through a mobile phone, or a wired connection such as the PSTN, an ISDN line, or LAN. Users will be able to send an "instant postcard" by cordlessly connecting a camera to a mobile phone or any wire-bound connection. Users could add comments to their snapshots using a mobile phone or mobile PC, and send them instantly to recipients anywhere in the world.

For more information on Bluetooth visit the Bluetooth Website.

Speaker Biography:
Mahmoud Naghshineh is with the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York, where he currently manages the communication systems group. He has been working at IBM since 1988 on a variety of research and development projects dealing with design and analysis of local area networks, communication protocols, and fast packet-switched/broadband networks, wireless and mobile ATM, wireless radio and infrared access broadband and local area networks. His current research interests are optical and wireless networking, hardware and software co-design of communication systems, and adaptive networking. He received his doctoral degree from Columbia University, New York. He has served as a member of technical program committee, session organizer and chairperson for many IEEE conferences and workshops. He is also an editor of the IEEE personal communications magazine as well as, an area editor for the ACM's Mobile Computing and Communications Review. Currently, he is an adjunct faculty member of the department of electrical engineering at Columbia University where he teaches a course on wireless/mobile communications and networking. He is a member of the Bluetooth SIG. His e-mail adderess is mahmoud@watson.ibm.com.