Mobile Leaders to Unify the Symbian Software Platform

Tag : oem mobile


Sony Ericsson, Motorola and NTT DOCOMO announced todaytheir intent to unite Symbian OS(TM), S60, UIQ and MOAP(S) tocreate one open mobile software platform. Together with AT&T,LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, STMicroelectronics, TexasInstruments and Vodafone they plan to establish the SymbianFoundation to extend the appeal of this unified software platform.Membership of this non-profit Foundation will be open to allorganizations. This initiative is supported by current shareholdersand management of Symbian Limited, who have been actively involvedin its development. Plans for the Foundation have already receivedwide support from other industry leaders.

To enable the Foundation, Nokia today announced plans to acquirethe remaining shares of Symbian Limited that Nokia does not alreadyown and then contribute the Symbian and S60 software to theFoundation. Sony Ericsson and Motorola today announced theirintention to contribute technology from UIQ and DOCOMO has alsoindicated its willingness to contribute its MOAP(S) assets. Fromthese contributions, the Foundation will provide a unified platformwith common UI framework. A full platform will be available for allFoundation members under a royalty-free license, from theFoundation's first day of operations.

Contributions from Foundation members through open collaborationwill be integrated to further enhance the platform. The Foundationwill make selected components available as open source at launch.It will then work to establish the most complete mobile softwareoffering available in open source. This will be made available overthe next two years and is intended to be released under EclipsePublic License (EPL) 1.0.

The Foundation's platform will build on the leading open mobilesoftware platform, with more than 200 million phones, across 235models, already shipped by multiple vendors and tens of thousandsof third-party applications already available for Symbian OS-baseddevices.

"Ten years ago, Symbian was established by far sighted players tooffer an advanced open operating system and software skills to thewhole mobile industry," said Nigel Clifford, CEO of Symbian. "Ourvision is to become the most widely used software platform on theplanet and indeed today Symbian OS leads its market by any measure.Today's announcement is a bold new step to achieve that vision byembracing a complete and proven platform, offered in an open way,designed to stimulate innovation which is at the heart ofeverything we do."

"Establishing the Foundation is one of the biggest contributions toan open community ever made," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO ofNokia. "Nokia is a strong supporter of open platforms andtechnologies as they give the freedom to build, maintain and evolveapplications and services across device segments and offer by farthe largest ecosystem, enabling rapid innovation. Today'sannouncement is a major milestone in our devices softwarestrategy."

"The complete, consistent platform that the Foundation plans toprovide will allow manufacturers to focus on their uniquedifferentiation at a device level" said Dick Komiyama, President ofSony Ericsson. "Sony Ericsson believes that the unified SymbianFoundation platform will greatly simplify the world for handsetmanufacturers, operators and developers, enabling greaterinnovation in services and applications to the benefit of consumerseverywhere."

"Motorola has long been a leader and advocate of open software formobile platforms. We're excited to be joining Nokia, Sony Ericsson,NTT DOCOMO and others in leading this open source effort to formthe new Symbian Foundation and unite the Symbian ecosystem," saidAlain Mutricy, Senior Vice President, Platforms & TechnologyOffice, Motorola Mobile Devices. "Also, Motorola, together withSony Ericsson, will be contributing UIQ technology to theFoundation and will work with UIQ as they are refocusing as animportant supplier in the new Symbian ecosystem. This will be agreat addition, as the Foundation will be able to leverage UIQ'sunique experience, which includes expertise in touch technology."

"DOCOMO welcomes this development and we look forward to moving ourSymbian based devices and service onto the Foundation platform. Weare also willing to contribute our MOAP(S) assets to theFoundation. This is a very positive step in further increasing theadoption of the Symbian software and creating an even more open,consistent and complete platform. The Foundation software willenable us to enjoy the benefits of a global platform in bringingnew, leading-edge services to the Japanese market. It will increaseefficiency and help us provide our wide customer base with the mostadvanced mobile experiences." said Toshio Miki, Associate SeniorVice President, Managing Director of Communication DeviceDevelopment Department of NTT DOCOMO.

"Mobile phones have turned into sophisticated multimedia computersand smart phones continue to grow in popularity," said Kris Rinne,Senior Vice President of Architecture and Planning at AT&T."The Symbian Foundation will reduce fragmentation in the industryand holds the promise of incorporating leading technology and themost mature software into a unified platform for the entireindustry. This will create an environment that will encourage andenable developers to build compelling applications that willpositively affect our customers' lives and support AT&T inoffering its differentiated services to consumers."

"Joining the Symbian Foundation is an ideal opportunity for LG tobroaden our commitment to providing our customers with the bestpossible mobile experience" said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEOof LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "We believe thatopen mobile platforms will contribute to advance the mobileindustry. At LG we will play a leading role in creating a bettermobile environment, working with the Symbian Foundation to provideour customers with smart new features based on this open platform."

"Samsung Electronics is committed to Symbian as one of the futureplatforms for our mobile devices and believes that establishing theFoundation is a visionary move in positioning the platform as aproven open platform for future development. We are delighted to beplaying a significant role in that future by joining the Foundationboard. We have already used Symbian and S60 software successfullyto deliver appealing devices and see these steps making theplatform even more attractive for bringing the latest technologiesand services to the market" said Dr. Do Hun Kwon, VP & ManagingDirector, Samsung Electronics Research Institute.

"ST sees strong consumer demand, across all segments, for a richermultimedia experience," said Monica de Virgiliis, General Managerof the Wireless Multimedia Division, STMicroelectronics. "This newfoundation synchronizes and harmonizes the mainstream softwareapproach to address this need and makes the software widelyavailable. We anticipate this will fuel the growth ofmultimedia-capable devices and we are excited about being able toleverage our long-standing leadership in consumer digitalmultimedia to satisfy more and more consumers."

"TI has long supported open platforms, and we are excited about theformation of the Symbian Foundation. We believe the new structurewill remove barriers to innovation in the mobile industry byproviding a common platform on which exciting next-generationapplications and services can be built," said Greg Delagi, seniorvice president of TI's Wireless Business Unit. "Manufacturers canget a head-start on development with TI's proven OMAP-based SymbianS60 software development platform. Combined with the Foundation'sopen collaboration model, this will allow more developers toharness the performance and multimedia capabilities of the OMAPfamily to accelerate improvements in the mobile user experience."

"Vodafone believes this is a significant step in driving mobileinnovation for the Internet as well as creating a richer mobileexperience for our customers" said Jens Schulte-Bockum, Vodafone'sGlobal Director of Terminals. "We have been challenging theindustry to reduce complexity and focus on fewer operating systems.This step will help to drive even faster innovation, as well asenable operators to accelerate time-to-market for compelling andvaried new services."

Foundation members share the vision that the Foundation will unifythe software platform, supercharge innovation and accelerate theavailability of new services and compelling experiences forconsumers and business users around the world. The combinedplatform is already one of the most advanced and widely used mobileplatforms, making it highly attractive for all ecosystem partners,including developers, mobile operators, content and serviceproviders and device manufacturers.

The Foundation is expected to start operating during the first halfof 2009, subject to the closing of the acquisition of Symbian Ltdby Nokia.

Note to Editors:

A press conference will be webcast live from London today at 11:00UK time and will be available for replay later.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc (NYSE:T( is a premier communications holding company.Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, arethe providers of AT&T services in the United States and aroundthe world. Among their offerings are the world's most advancedIP-based business communications services and the nation's leadingwireless, high speed internet access and voice services. Indomestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishingand advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages andYELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensedto innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As partof its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding TVofferings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortunemagazine's World's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list.

About LG Electronics, Inc.

LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader andtechnology innovator in consumer electronics, home appliances andmobile communications, employing more than 82,000 people working in114 operations including 82 subsidiaries around the world. With2007 global sales of USD 44 billion, LG is comprised of fourbusiness units - Mobile Communications, Digital Appliance, DigitalDisplay and Digital Media. LG is the world's leading producer ofmobile handsets, flat panel TVs, air conditioners, front-loadingwashing machines, optical storage products, DVD players and hometheater systems.

LG Electronics Mobile Communication Company (LG) is a leadingproducer of mobile handsets. LG creates handsets that provideoptimized mobile experience to customers around the world with itscutting-edge technology and innovative handset design capabilities.With advanced wireless solutions, LG is rapidly expanding itspresence and market share globally. For more information, pleasevisit http://www.lge.com.

About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation incommunications. The company develops technologies, products andservices that make mobile experiences possible. Our portfolioincludes communications infrastructure, enterprise mobilitysolutions, digital set-tops, cable modems, mobile devices andBluetooth accessories. Motorola is committed to delivering nextgeneration communication solutions to people, businesses andgovernments. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact,Motorola had sales of US US$36.6 billion in 2007.

About Nokia

Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformationand growth of the converging Internet and communicationsindustries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with servicesand software that enable people to experience music, navigation,video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more.Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services,as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area offocus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services forcommunications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO is the world's leading mobile communications company.DOCOMO serves over 53 million customers, including 44 millionpeople subscribing to FOMATM, launched as the world's first 3Gmobile service based on W-CDMA in 2001. DOCOMO also offers a widevariety of leading-edge mobile multimedia services, includingi-mode(TM), the world's most popular mobile e-mail/Internetservice, used by 48 million people. With the addition ofcredit-card and other e-wallet functions, DOCOMO mobile phones havebecome highly versatile tools for daily life. NTT DOCOMO is listedon the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stockexchanges.

i-mode and FOMA are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTTDOCOMO, INC. in Japan and other countries. NTT DOCOMO's FOMAservice is only available to subscribers in Japan.

About Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor,telecommunication, digital media and digital convergencetechnologies with 2007 consolidated sales of US$103.4 billion.Employing approximately 150,000 people in 134 offices in 62countries, the company consists of four main business units:Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, andTelecommunication Business. Recognized as one of the fastestgrowing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer ofdigital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs.

About Sony Ericsson

Having sold over 100 million phones in 2007, Sony Ericsson iscurrently one of the five largest mobile phone manufacturers in theworld. An important industry player operating in over 80 countries,our phones, accessories and PC cards are synonymous with innovationand style. With R&D sites in Europe, Japan, China, India andNorth America, diversity is one of the core strengths of thecompany. Sony Ericsson was established as a 50:50 joint venture bySony and Ericsson in October 2001, with global corporate functionslocated in London.

About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and deliveringsemiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronicsapplications. An unrivalled combination of silicon and systemexpertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP)portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at theforefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products playa key role in enabling today's convergence markets. The Company'sshares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Parisand on the Milan Stock Exchange.

About Symbian

Symbian is a software licensing company that develops and licensesSymbian OS, the market-leading open operating system for mobilephones. Symbian licenses Symbian OS to the world's leading handsetmanufacturers and has built close co-operative businessrelationships with leading companies across the mobile industry.During Q1 2008, 18.5 million Symbian mobile phones were soldworldwide to over 250 major network operators, bringing the totalnumber of units shipped up to 31 March 2008 to 206 million. Symbianhas its headquarters in London, United Kingdom, with offices in theUnited States, United Kingdom, Asia (India, P.R. China, and Korea)and Japan.

About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) helps customers solve problems anddevelop new electronics that make the world smarter, healthier,safer, greener and more fun. A global semiconductor company, TIinnovates through manufacturing, design and sales operations inmore than 25 countries.

About Vodafone

Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile communicationsgroup with over 260 million proportionate customers as of 31stMarch 2008. Vodafone currently has equity interests in 25 countriesacross five continents and a further 42 partner networks worldwide.

Symbian and all Symbian based trademarks and logos are trademarksof Symbian Software Limited. The operation of the proposed SymbianFoundation remains subject to regulatory approvals. Until suchapprovals are obtained, and the Symbian Foundation has become fullyoperational, Symbian Software Limited retains exclusiveresponsibility for all licensing and marketing activities relatedto Symbian OS.

Further statements of support for the Symbian Foundation

"This new initiative brings together the rare combination of aproven software operating system and an open source model, creatinga unique platform to drive innovation in the mobile handset," saidScott Bibaud, Senior Vice President & General Manager, MobilePlatforms Group, Broadcom. "Broadcom's participation in the SymbianFoundation is consistent with our goals of enabling differentiatedsoftware solutions while providing a time-to-market advantage withour advanced mobile platform products."

"Digia is excited about this initative, as we have been part of theecosystem for many years investing in skills and expertise in thesetechnologies", said Mr. Juha Varelius, President and CEO of Digia."We believe that the Foundation will mean increased businessopportunities for us, as more OEMs are attracted to developproducts for the platform and can benefit from our world classservices in the creation of smartphones."

"This unified platform will streamline our game development processand allow us to focus more on content creation than on deployment,"said Barry Cottle, EA Mobile senior vice president and generalmanager. "This announcement encourages the proliferation ofsmartphones, which in turn will allow us to concentrate on what wedo best, creating richer, more engaging and dynamic gamingexperiences for more customers worldwide"

"Ericsson Mobile Platforms is committed to open standards andstrongly believe the creation of the Symbian Foundation is a majorleap forward for the handset industry, fueling creativity anddriving end user experience to new levels", said Robert Puskaric,Head of Ericsson Mobile Platforms. "All of our open OS platformswill support future software releases from the establishment of theSymbian Foundation."

"Through the Freescale MXC architecture, we have consistentlyinvested in S60 on Symbian designs and have become a trustedplatform provider within the S60 Product Creation Community," saidTom Deitrich, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CellularProducts Group at Freescale. "We see the establishment of theSymbian Foundation as an ideal approach to accelerate industryinnovation and expand our customer relationships. Freescale isproud to support this exciting new opportunity and looks forward toworking with the Foundation members to bring new services to themarketplace."

"Fujitsu is pleased to be one of the first supporters of plans forthe Symbian Foundation, " said Hideyuki Saso, president of theMobile Phones Unit at Fujitsu Limited."Fujitsu has long been an innovator in the development of handsetsbased on the Symbian OS, launching our development efforts in 2001and commercializing the world's first Symbian OS-based 3Gsmartphone in 2003. Over the past seven years, we've brought abroad range of innovative, high-performance Symbian smartphones tomarket while collaborating with NTT DOCOMO on the development ofMOAP(S). As a handset vendor, Fujitsu looks forward to supportingthe development of the unified Foundation platform, and todeveloping future products based on the platform."

"This is a positive development for the open source community" saidOlaf Swantee, Head of Orange's Global Mobile Operations, "furthersupporting Orange's strategy to deliver exciting multimedia contentto our customers through our Signature device programme. Orange hasalways been a supporter of defragmentation and the SymbianFoundation will bring us one step closer."

"Establishing an open Foundation is essential to driving innovationin the mobile space," said Krishna Vedati, CEO of Plusmo, a mobilewidget service provider for Symbian devices. "We're proud to be apart of this watershed moment in our industry, pushing theboundaries in development and delivering outstanding, multimediauser experiences on this proven platform."

"Consumers worldwide are eager for an unleashing of innovation onmobile communications devices," said Cole Brodman, Chief Technologyand Innovation Officer, T-Mobile. "By joining with others in thisinitiative, T-Mobile continues its longstanding support of openmobile development platforms as a way to foster breakthroughinnovation in service to our customers."

"Being a global leader of providing software services for themobile industry, Teleca applauds the establishment of the SymbianFoundation" said Rene Svendsen-Tune, CEO at Teleca. "Today, we haveover 500 system architects and software engineers working onSymbian, S60 or UIQ platforms around the world. We bring value tothe OEM eco-system by performing development work, systemsintegration, device customization or test. As the Foundation movesto establish a unified global platform, we have the skills,expertise, global reach and scale to support existing and new OEMsin developing innovative new products, wherever they are. We expectthe Foundation will enable us to operate even more efficiently withour customers by taking advantage of the scale and innovation aunified and open platform will bring. "

"As an early member and a leading global provider of services tocompanies in Symbian and S60 ecosystems, Wipro believes the plansfor the Symbian Foundation and the evolution of the platform hasthe potential to transform the mobile industry. Global availabilityof this platform will enable Wipro in collaborating with devicevendors, technology providers, communication service providers andenterprises in realizing innovative communication solutions", saidSudip Nandy, President, Technology, Media and Telecom Group, WiproTechnologies.