Telefonica, joined wireless Linux foundation LiMo on Monday and
committed with five other major operators to sell phones using its
software this year.
Vodafone, Orange, Japan's NTT DoCoMo, Korea's SK Telecom, and the top
U.S. operator Verizon Wireless will also introduce phones using LiMo
software in 2009, the operators said in a joint statement ahead of
Mobile World Congress trade show next week in Barcelona.
"With a host of operators pledging to deliver handsets in 2009, we
expect LiMo to start making real tangible progress in 2010," said
Geoff Blaber, an analyst at research firm CCS Insight.
The market for software platforms on cellphones is led by Nokia's
Symbian operating system, but it has lost much ground over the last
year to Apple Inc and Research in Motion.
Computer operating system Linux has had little success in cellphones
thus far, but its role is increasing with the LiMo platform and Google
Inc using Linux to build its Android platform.
LiMo, a non-profit foundation, hopes to benefit from its focus on
giving greater say over software development to telecoms operators.
"Android is enjoying a huge amount of momentum at the moment in terms
of operator commitment and manufacturer support," said CCS' Blaber.
"However, LiMo remains a strong longer term bet for a host of
operators that seek an independent and service neutral platform."
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