Back in June, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) first unveiled the tentative specifications that the Bluetooth 5 could come with. However, now, the new specifications have been finalized by the industry group and are set to be featured in new devices. Also, the SIG says, devices with the new Bluetooth 5, can be expected to be seen in the market in two to six months . Also Read - Logitech K380 Multi-device Bluetooth Keyboard Review: Best for what it does

According to the official website for Bluetooth 5, the new and updated feature will come with twice the bandwidth, four times the range, and eight times the broadcasting message capacity of Bluetooth 4.2, when used with low energy devices. The maximum speed is now 2Mbps, up from 1Mbps. However, according to the needs of the device, the bandwidth can be decreased in order to allow for a four times longer range while maintaining similar low power requirements. Also Read - Oppo Enco W51 to go on open sale starting today; check price and features

Bluetooth is revolutionizing how people experience the IoT. Bluetooth 5 continues to drive this revolution by delivering reliable IoT connections and mobilizing the adoption of beacons, which in turn will decrease connection barriers and enable a seamless IoT experience, said Mark Powell, Executive Director of Bluetooth SIG.

Additionally, Bluetooth 5 supports larger data packets than its predecessors. It works with 255-octet packages. In simpler words, Bluetooth 5 makes more efficient use of the crowded 2.4GHz band, with less broadcast time required to complete tasks. As you’d expect, the Bluetooth 5 specifications are backwards compatible with its predecessors. For low energy devices this means down to Bluetooth 4.0 LE, and for all the others the interoperability goes back to the specification of the Bluetooth 1.1. ALSO READ: Skullcandy launches Method Wireless headphones priced at Rs 5,299

Further, the enhancements in Bluetooth 5 bring better functionality to Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices. Bluetooth 5 aims at delivering reliable IoT connections and mobilizing the adoption of beacons, which in turn will decrease connection barriers and enable a seamless IoT experience. Also, for developers, Bluetooth 5 offers the ease to build IoT solutions based on feature need, like range, speed and security, which can be adjusted for a variety of environments and end products. The increased speed of Bluetooth 5 lays the groundwork for the next generation of Bluetooth audio, and the increased range will deliver reliable IoT connections that make full-home, building, and outdoor use cases a reality.

“This means whole-home and building coverage, as well as new use cases for outdoor, industrial, and commercial applications will be a reality. With the launch of Bluetooth 5, we continue to evolve to meet the needs of IoT developers and consumers while staying true to what Bluetooth is at its core: the global wireless standard for simple, secure, connectivity,” Powell added.

The adoption of Bluetooth 5 comes at a crucial time of industry growth, with ABI Research expecting 48 billion internet-enabled devices to be installed by 2021, of which nearly one-third will include Bluetooth. The global wireless connectivity market is growing rapidly, with an anticipated 10 billion annual IC shipments by 2021, said Andrew Zignani with ABI Research. The introduction of Bluetooth 5 will create new opportunities in various verticals of the IoT market by reducing complexity and cost and giving manufacturers greater flexibility in targeting multiple applications and use cases.