Canonical assembles a team of experts to help Ubuntu crack the mobile market
Although Ubuntu for phones looks great, it’s going to be very tricky for Canonical to get any real foothold in a mobile market utterly dominated by iOS and Android devices. Even coming close to competing with BlackBerry and Windows Phone seems like a pipe dream at this point.
To help realize its ambitions, Canonical has put together a Carrier Advisory Group (CAG) to guide and shape the Ubuntu operating system for mobile devices.
The CAG consists of various leading global mobile operators including Everything Everywhere, Deutsche Telekom, Korea Telecom, Telecom Italia, LG UPlus, Portugal Telecom, and SK Telecom.
Independently chaired by David Wood who has served on the board of directors of both Symbian and the Open Mobile Alliance, the group will discuss various topics such as:
- Differentiation for OEMs and operators
- Developer ecosystems and application portability from Android and Blackberry
- HTML5 standards, performance and compatibility
- Marketplaces for apps, content and services
- Revenue share models for publishers, operators and OEMs
- Payment mechanisms and standards
- Platform fragmentation
- Consumer and enterprise market segments and positioning
According to Wood, "The mobile industry remains on the lookout for an independent platform that enables innovation and differentiation. Ubuntu brings a time-tested operating system and an attractive user experience, as well as a community of developers ready to apply enterprise-grade skills in the creation of applications. The Carrier Advisory Group will have ample opportunity to influence the Ubuntu roadmap, and take full advantage of the potential in this emerging platform".
Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical, adds: “The CAG is an important partnership between Canonical and the mobile industry. While Ubuntu has gained tremendous traction in both cloud and PC environments, we recognize the complex dynamics of the mobile market and so the CAG allows us to draw on the insights and support of such a thoughtful and experienced group of industry partners. We aim to deliver a platform that delights everyone who touches it and meets industry requirements of quality, security, manageability and differentiation".