China is emerging as a pivotal force in the global Bluetooth ecosystem, both as a major market and an increasingly important source of innovation, as the technology shifts from consumer connectivity toward broader applications in the artificial intelligence era, said a senior executive of Bluetooth Special Interest Group.

"Boasting the second-largest number of Bluetooth member companies globally and ranking first in product qualifications, China is now an indispensable innovator to Bluetooth development," said Neville Meijers, CEO of the company.

Meijers said that with one in every three qualified Bluetooth devices in Asia-Pacific now coming from China, the country sits at the heart of the Bluetooth ecosystem in the region.

Founded in 1998 by global tech heavyweights including Ericsson, IBM and Intel, Bluetooth has grown into a global industry consortium with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for 38 percent of its global membership.

With nearly half of the global mobile Bluetooth market and strong capabilities in self-developed chips, China is moving beyond manufacturing to become a source of innovation, contributing to global standards and feeding back into the broader ecosystem, Meijers said.

"To really serve a global ecosystem, we need to understand local innovation deeply," he added.

Reflecting such a need, Bluetooth SIG has stepped up its local engagement. It established legal entities in Beijing; Shenzhen, Guangdong province; and Shanghai in February last year, followed by the launch of a China Interest Group in October. The group, led by local companies such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, focuses on aligning Chinese market needs with global technology roadmaps.

"It's important for the Bluetooth community to understand the ideas, needs and regional requirements of our members here in China — not just for products designed for the domestic market, but also for those targeting global markets," Meijers said.

Targeting the Chinese market, the interest group has set up dedicated automotive and audio teams to explore innovative applications of Bluetooth technology in areas such as automotives and the industrial internet of things.

Lori Lee, senior director of Asia-Pacific and China at Bluetooth SIG, said the mechanism enables closer collaboration with local partners and allows Chinese innovation to be incorporated into global standards.

"Building on its success in China, the model is now being extended to other markets such as Japan," Lee said.

The importance of such collaboration is underscored by the scale of the market. Bluetooth SIG expects annual shipments of Bluetooth-enabled devices to approach 6 billion units by the end of 2026, with projections exceeding 8 billion units in the following years.

As the ecosystem expands, Bluetooth is also expected to gain new relevance in the AI era. Sitting at the edge of connected networks, the tech is playing a growing role in data collection and transmission — a key foundation for AI applications.

"In the AI era, Bluetooth devices will become even more prevalent, as they can pull data from networks through edge devices, enabling AI to generate insights," Meijers said.

This shift is also broadening Bluetooth's application scenarios. While long associated with consumer devices such as headphones and wearables, the technology is increasingly moving into industrial and enterprise environments.

From a deployment perspective, some of the fastest-growing use cases — including asset tracking, battery-free tags for inventory management and smart lighting control — have already completed the full cycle from proof of concept to large-scale rollouts in China.

"This makes China not only the largest user of Bluetooth standards, but also a real-world testing ground and accelerator for new applications," Meijers said.

Looking ahead, Bluetooth SIG has outlined a technology roadmap for 2026 to 2030. Key priorities include advancing high data throughput (HDT) technologies to enable cable-like wireless performance, enhancing lossless high-definition audio frameworks, and developing ambient IoT standards to support ultra-low-power and self-powered devices aligned with global sustainability goals.

lijiaying@chinadaily.com.cn