NTT DoCoMo advise handset producers to avoid Microsoft O/S

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

Thanks to member Thornton for the heads up!

Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc advise handset producers to avoid Microsoft operating systems

Thursday 4 December 2003 (Reuters)

Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc says it expects the number of users of its 3G mobile phones to grow more than 15-fold to 25 million by 2006, helped by improved handsets and wider coverage. It now plans to roll out a series of 3G handsets that are as slim and light as its standard second-generation models. Chief Executive Keiji Tachikawa told a news conference that DoCoMo, hoping to encourage the development of more attractive models, recommended that makers of its 3G handsets produce phones based on either the Linux or Symbian operating systems, on the grounds that Linux software is free and can be copied or modified, unlike Microsoft Corp's rival operating systems. "There won't be one unified operating system for 3G phones worldwide. But fragmentation would cause inconvenience. So DoCoMo recommends Linux and Symbian," Tachikawa said. Asked why it is excluding Microsoft from its new handsets, he said: "Openness is not guaranteed with Microsoft's systems. If the issue were resolved, we would be happy to include Microsoft."

The full story can be viewed here.

Thornton writes:

Clearly this could have a significant effect on the spread and take-up of the Smartphone/Windows Mobile OS in 3G hardware in particular. Do we think that DoCoMo really mean what they say? Or is it just a negotiating tactic to encourage more openness by Microsoft?

[Guest Sonicr360]

A Linux Smartphone! Sounds good! Competition for Mr Gates!! :lol:

But is it a wise move?

[Guest j_sincla]

Actually the 3G technology used in FOMA (DoCoMo) is slightly different from W-CDMA as being deployed by Hutch etc.

That's part of the reason why there are handset delays for Hutch in Europe - the phones from NEC need adapted to work on "our" W-CDMA.

I wouldn't worry too much. Share of Net adds in Japan is all going KDDI's way, so DoCoMo's leverage is over domestic handset producers and not the global supply...now if China Mobile said the same thing - we should be worried.