Bluetooth SIG Unveils LE Audio, the Next Generation of Bluetooth Audio

At CES 2020, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the upcoming release of LE Audio, the next generation of Bluetooth audio. Two years on the making, Bluetooth LE Audio will enhance the performance of wireless audio, add support for hearing aids, and introduce Audio Sharing, a new use case with the potential to once again change the way we experience audio and connect with the world around us as Bluetooth did when it cut the cord 20 years ago to create the wireless audio market.

As audioXpress previously anticipated, French wireless audio pioneer Tempow has been developing a new technology approach to bring next-generation True Wireless Stereo (TWS) to the Bluetooth earbud mass market. Tempow's hardware-agnostic solution lets any smartphone manufacturer create wireless earbuds with near-zero latency, increased battery, and high fidelity, in alternative to proprietary or non-standard Bluetooth solutions.

Cypress Semiconductor introduced a Bluetooth audio development solution that improves performance to wireless earbuds and hearables. Based on the new Wireless Audio Stereo Synchronization (WASS) application and the CYW20721 Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Audio microcontroller (MCU), the solution provides stereo synchronization and robust connections for differentiated performance in wireless earbuds.

Wireless headsets and earbuds, those lightweight, untethered truly wireless devices to listen to your playlist or a conference call, are a fast-growing consumer trend for good reason. Who enjoys untangling the cable they stuffed in their pocket or having wires dangling around their head? Wireless delivers – no cables, no tangles and no tumbling earphones (although claims that a cord connecting the earbuds still counts as “wireless” clearly came as a surprise to many consumers).

The enterprise market, led by the government, military, and retail verticals, is also beginning to turn to hearables to foster better communication, collaboration, and workforce productivity. Market research from ABI Research forecasts enterprise hearable shipments will top one million in 2021, increasing from just 30,000 in 2016, at a CAGR of more than 108%.