Wave Issue 0101 1/4/01 Article 4-03

***Toshiba, Taiyo Yuden and IBM Japan to Establish Japanese
Bluetooth Qualification Organization
(December 29)

According to M2 Communications, Toshiba, Taiyo Yuden and IBM
Japan have announced that they will establish a joint venture
company that will authorize use of the Bluetooth logo. The logo
is mandatory for all products that claim to meet the Bluetooth
standard and will assure consumers that products they purchase
are fully Bluetooth compliant.

Bluetooth technology enables users to connect mobile computers,
digital cellular phones, handheld devices, network access points
and other mobile devices via wireless links, unimpeded by line-
of-sight restrictions. It eliminates the need for proprietary
cables to connect devices, increases the ease and breadth of
wireless connectivity, and is expected to become a core feature
of a range of mobile equipment. Market research firm Brain-Child
recently estimated that there will be approximately 700 million
consumer-use Bluetooth-enabled devices worldwide by 2005.

The Bluetooth qualification organization is expected to make it
quicker and more convenient for Japan-based manufacturers to
obtain qualification of Bluetooth enabled products, and is also
expected to contribute to shorter development terms and lower
associated costs. A locally based qualifying organization is also
expected to speed the diffusion of Bluetooth products in the
domestic market.

The joint venture has Japan's only Bluetooth Qualification Body
(BQB), a person authorized by the Bluetooth Qualification Review
Board (BQRB) to organize and oversee provision of support to
manufacturers seeking Bluetooth product qualification. The
company will also operate Japan's sole Bluetooth Qualification
Test Facility (BQTF), which has the BQRB accreditation required
to offer qualification testing.

The venture will be incorporated in February 2001 and start
operation in April. It anticipates sales of more than 1 billion
yen in the fiscal year 2005.