Bluetooth SIG adopts HDT spec with 7.5 Mbps peak bit rate
The new physical layer targets about four times the throughput of existing Bluetooth, with standardized premium wireless audio named as the first application.
Bluetooth SIG announced on November 5, 2026 that it has adopted Bluetooth HDT (High Data Throughput), a new specification that the organization said roughly quadruples Bluetooth data rates while improving efficiency and reliability.
Bluetooth HDT introduces a new physical layer (PHY) with a modulation scheme intended to improve communication reliability. It supports a maximum bit rate of 7.5 Mbps, about four times the existing BLE 2M PHY, and offers roughly four times the maximum data throughput of existing Bluetooth, according to datanet.co.kr.
The standards body said the specification improves throughput, spectral efficiency, energy efficiency and communication reliability. The first representative application area cited for Bluetooth HDT is standardized premium wireless audio.
Bluetooth SIG CEO Neville Meijers said Bluetooth HDT raises the performance of Bluetooth technology a level. Kim Jun-seok, head of CP development at Samsung Electronics' S.LSI division, commented on the specification improving data speed, capacity, energy efficiency and stability.
Øyvind Strøm, short-range wireless SVP at Nordic Semiconductor, said Bluetooth HDT greatly broadens the possibilities of Bluetooth technology.
Quick answers
What is Bluetooth HDT?
Bluetooth HDT (High Data Throughput) is a Bluetooth specification adopted by Bluetooth SIG that introduces a new physical layer and supports a maximum bit rate of 7.5 Mbps.
How much faster is Bluetooth HDT than existing Bluetooth?
Bluetooth SIG says the maximum bit rate is about four times the existing BLE 2M PHY, with roughly four times the maximum data throughput of existing Bluetooth.