The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) today announced the appointment of Ian Macnamara of Nokia to the position of Chairman of the Board. As chairman, Macnamara will lead the group of seven board members who provide guidance to the Bluetooth SIG on the creation and promotion of Bluetooth wireless technology.

“For years, Ian and Nokia have been deeply involved in the development of Bluetooth technology. The Bluetooth SIG is especially pleased to have Ian in this position as we move to incorporate Wibree technology, first created by Nokia, as Bluetooth technology’s ultra low power solution,” said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG.

Macnamara is Technology Manager for Nokia’s Complementary Wireless platforms group. Using his Electronic Engineering, background, he spent many years working in Europe and Asia on RF designs for industrial and consumer products before moving into management where he has 20 years experience. During his 14 year tenure with Nokia, he has worked on design, manufacturing, specification and standardization of telecommunication products. Macnamara is currently responsible for technology assessment and selection as well as strategy and implementation plans for PAN, and GPS within Nokia.

“This is an exciting time to be a part of the evolution of Bluetooth technology. The SIG and its thousands of member companies are constantly improving the technology, expanding into new markets and working to unite wireless technologies to meet every consumer need,” said Macnamara. “It’s an honor to be elected by the board to help guide the next year and plan for the next decade of Bluetooth technology.”

Bluetooth technology turned 10 years old in 2008 and has nearly two billion devices with the technology in the marketplace. Macnamara expects that number to continue to grow with new advances like ultra low power and high speed Bluetooth technology.

“Ultra low power Bluetooth technology opens up new markets for the popular global standard, like sports and fitness, a wider arena within healthcare and monitoring and sensor applications. At the other end of the spectrum, high speed Bluetooth technology will provide consumers with the ability to quickly and easily transfer huge amounts of data, like video and complete music libraries, wirelessly,” added Macnamara.

In addition to his position as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bluetooth SIG, Macnamara is also actively involved in the standardization of ultra-wideband technology (UWB) and serves on the WiMedia Alliance board of directors. The Bluetooth SIG is working to incorporate UWB with the Bluetooth standard for a high-speed version of the technology expected out in 2009.

Macnamara’s appointment is effective immediately and succeeds Motorola’s Dr. John Barr in the position of SIG Chairman of the Board. Barr, Motorola, will now serve as vice-chairman of the board.

About Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology

Bluetooth wireless technology is the global short-range wireless standard for personal connectivity of a broad range of electronic devices. The technology is now available in its fourth version of the core specification and continues to develop, building on its inherent strengths - small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking abilities. More than five new Bluetooth enabled products are qualified every working day and 13 million Bluetooth units are shipping per week. The installed base of Bluetooth devices is one and a half nearly two billion and climbing, making it the only proven wireless technology choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide.

About the Bluetooth SIG

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, consumer electronics, automotive and network industries, is driving development of Bluetooth wireless technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes Promoter group companies Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, along with over 10,000 Associate and Adopter member companies. The Bluetooth SIG, Inc. headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A. For more information please visit http://www.bluetooth.com/.

The Bluetooth word mark and logo are registered trademarks and are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

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