Symbian backers unite to lead handset software market

by Stuart Corner

Tuesday, 24 June 2008

Page 1 of 2 ! Leading handset vendors, and mobile network operators AT&T, NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone have banded together to unite the Symbian handset OS and the platforms its supports to create a new open mobile software platform. The move will be a powerful counter to the Google backed Android, the Linux based LiMo platform and Microsoft Windows Mobile. To achieve this goal Nokia will acquire all of Symbian from its other shareholder and with other partners will form the Symbian Foundation. Nokia is offering to pay Euro264 million to take all of Symbian of which it owns 48 percent at present. Of the other shareholders, Sony Ericsson, Ericsson, Panasonic Mobile Communications and Siemens have already accepted the offer. They represent 91 percent of the shares not held by Nokia.. The sole remaining shareholder, Samsung, is expected to accept Nokia says. Nokia says the acquisition is a fundamental step to establishing the Symbian Foundation which it has just announced together with AT&T, LG Electronics, Motorola, NTT DoCoMo, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone. Symbian OS is claimed to be the market-leading open operating system for mobile devices. It sits underneath a number of user interfaces including S60 from Nokia, MOAP for the 3G network and UIQ, designed by UIQ Technology, a joint venture between Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Nokia intends to unite the Symbian OS and these user interfaces to create one open mobile software platform. A full platform will be available for all Foundation members under a royalty-free license, from the Foundation's first day of operations. The Foundation is expected to start operating during the first half of 2009, subject to the closing of the acquisition of Symbian Ltd by Nokia   Contributions from Foundation members through open collaboration will be integrated to further enhance the platform. The Foundation will make selected components available as open source at launch. It will then work to establish the most complete mobile software offering available in open source. This will be made available over the next two years and is intended to be released under Eclipse Public License (EPL) 1.0. CONTINUED << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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