A nice win for Series 60, but no Series 40 at Vodafone? This would also limit Treo and RIMM....
earthtimes.org
Vodafone to standardize mobile operating systems
Posted on : Mon, 06 Nov 2006 14:42:00 GMT | Author : Thomas Blythe
News Category : Technology
LONDON: British mobile phone operator Vodafone Group Plc. said Monday it would confine to using only three software systems for mobile handsets on its network as a measure of standardizing the technology and in order to cut down on costs of delivering services.
The company said over the next five years it will shift to Microsoft Windows Mobile, Symbian/Series 60 and the open-source Linux.
Since there is hardly any standardization prevailing in the mobile software domain, different applications have to be written in several languages to work on different handsets, adding to the costs of operators.
Analysts feel other mobile operators may be planning similar strategies which can bring about standardization in the field.
Vodafone hoped this measure will help speed up and streamline the development of new applications as well as leading to convergence between mobile devices and computers.
The company said in a statement, "By focusing on these three core terminal platforms, Vodafone expects to be able to reap the benefits of a range of efficiencies such as reduced handset development costs, as well as the quicker and more cost-effective roll-out of new services."
Among the three systems adopted, Symbian/Series 60 has been developed by Nokia and is used in all of its higher-end smartphones. Vodafone will not, however, use another Nokia software, Series 40, in its cheaper models. Instead it said it will standardize on the open source Linux.
The company said it had also signed a terminal platform agreement with Microsoft aimed at a better integration between the Windows Mobile platform and the company's own applications and services.
It said the first device to use the software produced under the agreement will be Samsung's and it is expected be launched in the first half of 2007.
Microsoft said the partnership with Vodafone will allow the operator access to Microsoft's considerable expertise to help speed up convergence between mobile devices and computers.
Vodafone is a core member of an alliance that works to develop a unified open Linux-based software platform for handheld devices. The other members include NTT Docomo, Motorola, NEC, Panasonic and Samsung.
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