US software and services company Red Hat and Britain`s closely held 3G Lab said yesterday they will develop a "Linux for the wireless world" as they team up to write an operating system for Web phones.
The software that will create the groundwork for new applications on mobile phones will be "open source," meaning that all the code will be published on the Internet and available to everyone.
Linux is also a free "open source" operating system (OS) that has made major inroads in the computer industry as an alternative to Microsoft`s Windows and a host of Unix and mainframe operating systems.
The companies will take on established names such as Psion-owned Symbian and Microsoft which have already developed their own operating systems for a new generation of smartphones and between them gained support of all of the major mobile phone manufacturers.
The first smartphones, designed to display e-mail, run calendars and play games and video clips, will hit the market later this year.
Red Hat and 3G said their new OS will make a difference because manufacturers will be allowed to tweak the software so it can be tailored to specific cellphones, without having to consult or seek approval of the producer of the software.
"Manufacturers will have complete liberty. They will have a choice to create a mix of applications with their own look and feel and branding," Paul Beskeen, director of engineering of embedded products at Red Hat, told Reuters in an interview.
"If mobile operators and mobile phone manufacturers are going to be able to customise these devices deeply to user needs, there needs to be much more openness, flexibility and modularity in the software platform," 3G Lab chief executive Steve Ives said in a statement.
Software code coming soon
The first strings of software code, based on Red Hat`s existing open software eCOS hidden in products like printers and MP3 music players, will be published on (http://sources.redhat.com/ecos/sources) in a few months time when the first usable software is expected, said Bob Last, director of sales and marketing at 3G Lab.
The two companies, which expect to generate revenues from their product by adapting, testing and supporting the software and new applications, said they have not yet signed up any customers.
"But there is huge interest in open source," Last said. The components that make up a mobile phone are quickly being commoditised. Only a few weeks ago Motorola, the world`s second largest cellphone maker, said it will sell all of the technology to build a basic mobile phone to outside producers.
A small French company, Wavecom also sells modules that have all the functionality of a GSM cellphone. "The whole cellphone area is becoming commoditised," Beskeen said.
This development has created opportunities for young cellphone makers like British Sendo to concentrate on customising phones to the needs of different operators, something large phone manufacturers are not doing yet.
Red Hat and 3G Lab play the same trend, Beskeen said.
The new software, to be called eCos/M3, will have specific features that maximise battery life and makes sure streaming data such as audio and video will be delivered instantaneously.
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