Mobile open-standards group recruits key players

OMTP signs PalmSource, Symbian, Siemens, Sony Ericsson and more

By Tony Smith • Get more from this author

Posted in Mobile, 20th January 2005 11:49 GMT

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Mobile phone operating system developers PalmSource and Symbian yesterday both threw their weight behind the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP), an organisation pushing for open standards in the handset and PDA markets.

The OMTP's goal is to bring network operators, software and operating system developers, hardware designers, and device manufacturers together to create products the offer a greater level of interoperability and user-interface consistency than they do today.

What that will achieve, it believes, is a better business environment for mobile products and services, though the organisation stresses that its remit does not extend to defining a rigid framework of software and hardware components that participants must adhere to.

Alongside PalmSource and Symbian, the OMTP said Ericsson and Siemens had joined as Sponsors, along with Sony Ericsson, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and Infineon as Advisor members. UK-based user interface specialist Mobile Innovations also joined the group as an Associate member.

For its part, PalmSource said its plan to develop a version of the Palm OS which comprises the software's established UI on top of a Linux-based core fitted neatly with the goals if the OMTP. ®