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Mobile Players Say Linux Will Unleash Handset Innovation

Staff Reporter -- Electronics Weekly, 6/16/2006

Mobile phone companies Motorola, NEC, Panasonic and Samsung have teamed up with operators NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone to drive the adoption of an open source Linux-based software platform for handsets.

The powerful group have agreed to work toward creating an open Linux-based software platform for mobile devices. Initially, this means the joint development and marketing of an API specification, architecture, supporting source code-based reference implementation components and tools.

The foundation also plans to provide a test suite to assess and demonstrate product conformance to the platform specification.

According to Greg Besio, Motorola VP for mobile devices software, the creation of a universal, mobile Linux platform “will unleash the tremendous innovation opportunities for developers, device makers, operators and consumers alike.”

“Linux sits at the core of Panasonic Group’s software strategy, and to date we have shipped nearly eight million Linux-based handsets in the highly competitive Japanese market,” said Osamu Waki, MD of Panasonic mobile communications. “We intend to leverage our experience to accelerate the realization of a truly global Linux-based software platform and ecosystem, which will lead to faster time to market.”

Electronics Weekly is the London-based sister publication of Electronic News.