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May 15, 2008

Verizon Wireless is the first major mobile phone carrier in the U.S. to join the LiMo Foundation (Linux Mobile), which aims to streamline mobile handset manufacturers, software developers and wireless carriers to unify and adopt a standard operating platform that will make it a lot easier and will greatly reduce overall costs in creating a wide assortment of mobile phones and MWDs (mobile wireless devices).

Stuart Carlaw, mobile phone industry analyst at ABI Research says "today, there's no more doubt that LiMo-powered devices will comprise a significant percentage of many operators' portfolios."

Verizon's endorsement yesterday represents an important milestone to the importance of LiMo and its great prospects in the U.S. It already has the backing of large Asian and European carriers, as well as handset makers like Motorola, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.

However, Verizon Wireless isn't adopting LiMo to the exclusion of other operating systems. Carlaw said Verizon sells mobile phones with a large variety of operating systems, and expects the carrier to continue doing so, at least the foreseeable future.

"ABI Research expects that Linux Mobile (LiMo) will rapidly become our preferred operating system. As the wireless and the Linux development community looks at how best to bring new applications to the marketplace, they should check out LiMo and Linux Mobile first," added Carlaw.

Verizon expects the adoption of LiMo to speed the overall development of the wireless industry, but the main difference between it and competing cell phone software may not be that apparent to users. For example, the Linux software package doesn't include a user interface, so the 'look and feel' of LiMo phones could be 'borrowed' from other phones.

Additionally, Verizon Wireless is opening up its mobile network on a wholesale basis to any device that meets Linux's basic technical requirements. But Verizon also warns that the backing of LiMo is a totally separate initiative, and that the carrier plans to sell LiMo devices under its own brand.

Source: Verizon Wireless.

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