Communication History Series 833 – Who Was the First Mobile Phone to Support Bluetooth in the World – 2001
July 26, 1999: The “Special Interest Group (SIG), led by Ericsson, officially announced Bluetooth version 1.0A, operating in the 2.4GHz frequency band.
2000: Ericsson announced the world’s first mobile phone to support Bluetooth, the Ericsson T36. However, Ericsson ultimately canceled the T36 mobile phone project, and it was never released.
June 2000: Ericsson released the first mobile phone with Bluetooth functionality, the R520. The R520 was included in the initial Ericsson Bluetooth development kit, which included hardware, software, and the R520m as a test phone. The R520 included the R520m and R520mc (Chinese version), making it the world’s first mobile phone to support Bluetooth and the world’s first mobile phone to support both Bluetooth and GPRS. Ericsson stated at the launch that the built-in Bluetooth chip “eliminated the need for cables between the phone and other mobile devices (such as PCs and hands-free devices).” The dimensions of the R520 are 130×50×16mm, and it weighs 105 grams.
January 2001: The R520m, which incurred significant R&D costs, was launched, but the response was not as enthusiastic as expected. The Chinese version, R520mc, cannot even be found in photos online. This month, Ericsson ceased mobile phone production and transferred manufacturing to Flextronics in the USA.
August 2001: Ericsson released the T39m mobile phone, which supports GSM tri-band and GPRS high-speed internet, supports Bluetooth, and has a powerful personal information management application (PIM). Its dimensions are 96×50×18mm, weight 86g, 600mA battery, and standby time of over 200 hours. Ericsson also launched the Chinese version of the T39mc. Some domestic media and online reports stating that “the Ericsson T39m is the world’s first mobile phone to support Bluetooth” are incorrect. The T39m was released at least six months after the R520. Compared to the bulky, poorly received, and little-known R520m, the compact and powerful T39m received significant market recognition, which is the reason for the erroneous claim that “the Ericsson T39m is the world’s first mobile phone to support Bluetooth.”
Therefore, we can draw the following three conclusions:
1. “The Ericsson T39m released in 2001 is the world’s first mobile phone to support Bluetooth” is incorrect.
2. “The Ericsson R520 released in 2000 is the world’s first mobile phone to support Bluetooth and the world’s first mobile phone to support both Bluetooth and GPRS.” is correct.
3. The bulky Ericsson R520’s sales and influence were far less than the widely popular Ericsson T39m, which is the main reason for the first erroneous statement.
References: 1. www.mobilephonemuseum.com