Nordic Semiconductor has indicated the growing interest in Bluetooth low energy in the Japanese consumer and mobile markets.
The Bluetooth chipset firm demonstrated what it called "blank" Bluetooth low energy modules from Japanese suppliers at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week.
The modules being demonstrated come from Japanese companies Braveridge, Fujitsu Component and Hosiden.
Braveridge is exhibiting the "BVMCN5101_BK", Fujitsu Component the "MBH7BLZ02-100057", and Hosiden the "HRM1017". Other manufacturers are expected to release similar modules during 2013, all based on Nordic's nRF51822 Bluetooth low energy system-on-chip (SoC) device.
The modules will be shipped as Bluetooth version 4.0 and RF-approved.
"The Bluetooth low energy protocol stack in the nRF51822-based modules from our Japanese partners will be shipped as tested and qualified so the developer can focus solely on the application code," said Mitsuo Yamazaki, Nordic's regional sales manager for Japan.
"This market is in its infancy, but is forecast to become huge," added Yamazaki.
