The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, a nonprofit private association responsible for overseeing and licensing Bluetooth technologies, announced Wednesday that it has appointed LG Electronics’ chief research engineer Lee Min-soo to the group’s board.

The Bluetooth SIG board of directors is comprised of 11 members from a diverse group of industry-leading companies such as Apple, Intel, Microsoft, Toshiba and Nokia.

According to the organization, the appointment of Lee is expected to bolster the expansion of Bluetooth technology into the fast-developing home automation and home entertainment areas.

Lee currently heads the standards and technology research division at LG focusing on home networking standards, and has participated in the Bluetooth SIG working groups, according to the organization.

“It is essential that our board reflect not only the diverse markets in which Bluetooth plays, but also our global footprint,” executive director of the group Mark Powell said.

Since the group’s founding in 1998, the number of members has grown to more than 19,000.

The Bluetooth-enabled technologies and the brand logo are owned by the organization, and membership is a requirement for any company that wishes to use the organization’s intellectual property.

As one of the near-field communication measures, Bluetooth technology utilizes a short-range radio frequency band to wirelessly connect a variety of computing and electronics devices as well as home appliances.

“As a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics and home appliances, LG believes Bluetooth will continue to be one of the key wireless technologies connecting our world,” Lee said.

“We are looking forward to continuing our support of the Bluetooth SIG, particularly in the areas of mobile communications, home entertainment and health care.”

Widely used primarily for mobile communications, the Bluetooth technology has now become available for various fitness equipment and automotive components.

By Kwon Bum-joon (bjkwon@heraldcorp.com)