Government backed ICT research centre, National ICT Australia (NICTA), has collaborated with QUALCOMM to use its mobile operating system versions with QUALCOMM chipsets.

Under the collaborative agreement, QUALCOMM will use NICTA versions of the L4 Microkernel and the Iguana operating system together with select versions of QUALCOMM's Mobile Station Modem chipsets.

The L4 Microkernel and Iguana operating system are designed to provide a high-performance, secure platform for embedded systems such as mobile communication devices. "We are pleased to be working with QUALCOMM to utilise the L4 microkernel as the foundation for a trusted computing platform on embedded wireless devices," said Professor Gernot Heiser, leader of NICTA's Embedded, Real-Time, and Operating Systems (ERTOS) program.

As the leader of the ERTOS team, Professor Heiser is involved in NICTA research projects concerned with the development of a software framework for secure embedded systems, untrusted device drivers, and a formally verified operating system kernel.

Commenting on the collaboration, NICTA CEO Dr David Skellern said, "Although a small project initially, we hope to further develop our relationship with QUALCOMM through demonstrating the innovative research being conducted in Australia. This collaboration illustrates how NICTA is facilitating access to international markets for locally developed research.