The serial message protocol that is the heart of ANT is well defined and currently is comprised of fifty messages that enable the developer to quickly define radio operation and data transfer in and out of the device. Since the protocol is embedded in the silicon there are no variables in interpretation of the network implementation such as take place in SDO based protocols and therefore no testing for adherence is needed, vastly reducing development, deployment and commercialization time and costs. Comparable design efforts to conceptualize and duplicate this backward compatible protocol would entail many years of work. Backward compatibility is one of the challenges developers face when making a family and generations of products for marketplace.