BusinessWeek says Linux may win on phones

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Nov. 10, 2005

Linux has a chance to pervade the mobile phone market, according to an excellent in-depth feature at BusinessWeek. Linux advantages include superior branding potential for carriers, and the flexibility to become their standard OS for phones at multiple pricepoints. Its challenges include a lack of software and uniformity, the article suggests.

According to BusinessWeek, mobile phone companies devote a significant portion of their R&D spending to software engineering. Market leader Nokia spends 60 percent of its $4.2 billion R&D budget on software, while number two Motorola employs 2,500 software engineers -- about four percent of its workforce. Software operations could be streamlined by standardizing on Linux, the article suggests.

Additionally, the proprietary RTOSes used in many mobile phones today are increasingly challenged by feature requirements such as cameras and media players, BusinessWeek notes. For example, NEC and Panasonic tapped Linux for their newest camera and media phones, respectively.

Linux could be difficult for third-party phone software vendors to support, however, because its inherent flexibility means Linux phones could differ significantly from vendor to vendor, BusinessWeek says. Standards organizations such as CELF and the OSDL's Mobile Linux Initiative aim to address this potential shortcoming, but could be challenged by the essentially competitive nature of their constituencies, BusinessWeek suggests.

Another challenge, particularly in the enterprise space, is Microsoft's established sales force of 20,000 -- companies are expected to increasingly buy phones for their employees in large lots, according to BusinessWeek.

Read the complete BusinessWeek article here:

Linux Answers Phone Makers' Call

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