The global shortage of Bluetooth and other chips may delay the delivery of new consumer devices and business equipment. For example, some of our customers may experience a delay with MiVoice 6930 IP Phones from Mitel, which features Bluetooth-enabled MobileLink connectivity among many other advanced capabilities.

The 6930’s native integration with MobileLink bridges the gap between users’ mobile and work phones by syncing contact information and call audio across both devices for uninterrupted conversations.

Several causes of the chip shortage have been advanced by industry analysts, including:

• Pandemic lockdowns in manufacturing regions in Southeast Asia
• Under-investment in chip plant manufacturing capacity
• A resurgence in consumer and business demand as the economy bounces back from the COVID pandemic
• Faster than expected demand for 5G phones
• A fire at a chip plant in southern Japan and a strike at a chip plant in France
• Chip stockpiling by Chinese telecom giant Huawei as a hedge against anticipated U.S. trade sanctions implemented last September

These and related factors have combined to produce the current shortage, despite chip manufacturers running at full capacity. The availability of Bluetooth chips is reportedly seeing delays of 8 to 10 weeks.

CTS will monitor this situation and communicate significant developments impacting the delivery of new telecom equipment to our affected customers. Meanwhile, we will continue helping businesses with innovative communication and collaboration solutions: 800.787.4848 or jnolte@ctsmd.us.