Telecoms.com reports that the popularity of Mobile Linux in Japan and China, as well as interest being shown by major Western vendors and operators, has secured the software technology's place in the mobile mainstream, according to Benoit Schillings, CTO of Trolltech.
Schillings cited analysis from Diffusion Group and TDG Research which forecasts that Linux will overtake Symbian in terms of mobile OS market share by 2010. Within a similar period, he said, more than half the phones shipped by Motorola -- ranked second in the global handset market -- will run Linux.
"Mobile operating systems are definitely the next battleground for the mobile communications industry, with major players such as Microsoft Windows, Symbian and Linux fighting for dominance," said Schillings.
"Handset manufacturers need to get different types of products to market quickly in order to keep up with the pace of innovation. Closed, vendor-specific proprietary operating systems do not offer the high levels of flexibility needed for this rapid mobile device and service innovation."
Schilling revealed that Trolltech has mobile Linux tagged for dominance in the mobile OS space within five years. "Unlike many other mobile operating systems, Linux has a modular architecture with loadable device drivers and modules," he said.
"This means that range of different functions can be shared, for example databases, digital rights management (DRM) and security features. As a result, manufacturers can build handsets that offer more features, are more robust, more secure and provide greater quality than proprietary operating systems."
Schillings cited analysis from Diffusion Group and TDG Research which forecasts that Linux will overtake Symbian in terms of mobile OS market share by 2010. Within a similar period, he said, more than half the phones shipped by Motorola -- ranked second in the global handset market -- will run Linux.
"Mobile operating systems are definitely the next battleground for the mobile communications industry, with major players such as Microsoft Windows, Symbian and Linux fighting for dominance," said Schillings.
"Handset manufacturers need to get different types of products to market quickly in order to keep up with the pace of innovation. Closed, vendor-specific proprietary operating systems do not offer the high levels of flexibility needed for this rapid mobile device and service innovation."
Schilling revealed that Trolltech has mobile Linux tagged for dominance in the mobile OS space within five years. "Unlike many other mobile operating systems, Linux has a modular architecture with loadable device drivers and modules," he said.
"This means that range of different functions can be shared, for example databases, digital rights management (DRM) and security features. As a result, manufacturers can build handsets that offer more features, are more robust, more secure and provide greater quality than proprietary operating systems."