Mobile Linux Will Be On 23% Of Smartphones By 2013Mobile Linux Will Be On 23% Of Smartphones By 2013

Incumbent smartphone operating systems will face a major challenge in the next five years, according to a study by ABI Research.

In a report about smartphones, "Smartphone and OS Markets," ABI said the open source Linux operating system will grow rapidly thanks to flexibility, as well as reduced licensing fees and development costs.

"By 2013, we expect that Linux will take 23% of the smartphone market and will be the second-most-prevalent solution behind Symbian," said ABI Research VP Stuart Carlaw in a statement.

The Linux Mobile Foundation and the Open Handset Alliance will be the major drivers of this increase and will account for most of the mobile Linux adoption. But ABI said developers like Maemo have an opportunity to be successful with mobile Internet devices.

The LiMo Foundation recently unveiled its first set of Linux-based handsets and is expected to have smartphones on the market before Google's Linux-based Android, which is backed by the Open Handset Alliance.

Despite some initial complaints, the Android platform is picking up some steam. With devices slated to come out by year's end, executives from Google seem confident Android will be a success.

The LiMo Foundation was founded in January 2007 with the goal of creating a Linux software framework that can be quickly designed into handsets. The Open Handset Alliance, founded in November 2007, is seeking to use the Android operating system as an open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices.

Both consortiums are pushing for an "open" handset software platform, but even if ABI's predictions come true, it is unlikely that a single mobile Linux platform will take over. Handset developers will be able to customize both Linux operating systems as they see fit. For example, while market leader Symbian is the basis for Nokia's S60 and the UIQ operating system, there are significant differences between the two.