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Fueled by the rapid uptake of Bluetooth in mobile phones, Bluetooth chip shipments have been on the rise, reports In-Stat. The rising Bluetooth chip shipments have had a cascading effect, leading to falling chip prices. This has led in turn to greater Bluetooth penetration of mobile phones and the emergence of Bluetooth in other product segments.

"The primary driver for Bluetooth handsets is the desire to connect to Bluetooth mono headsets, nearly 33 million of which shipped in 2005," said Brian O'Rourke, In-Stat analyst. "This figure is expected to increase to over 55 million in 2006."

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
-- GSM phones have adopted Bluetooth most rapidly, with one-third of GSM handsets in 2005 shipping with Bluetooth.
-- European and Japanese automakers made Bluetooth capability available in a greater variety of higher-end cars in 2005.
-- According to results from In-Stat's 2006 Residential Technology Survey, 50% of average U.S. consumers claimed to be "extremely familiar" with Bluetooth technology, compared to a mere 2% of respondents in a 2005 survey.

The research, "Bluetooth 2006: Mobile Phones & Headsets Driving the Market to New Heights" (#IN0602965MI), covers the worldwide market for Bluetooth ICs and applications. It includes forecasts for numerous Bluetooth-enabled products, and unit, revenue, and ASP forecasts by Bluetooth type through 2010. It also analyzes Bluetooth standards and other competitive issues including comparisons with competing technologies.