South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth’s Isle of Man-based Canonical has set up a Carrier Advisory Group (CAG) to influence the development of its smartphone operating system Ubuntu.
Shuttleworth is part way through a high profile court challenge to the country’s exchange controls, but his Canonical project continues to make headway.
The CAG is made up Deutsch Telekom, Everything Everywhere (UK), Korea Telecom, Telecom Italia, LG Plus, Portugal Telecom and SK Telecom (Spain). There is no African network operator presence.
David Wood, a man with 25 years experience in the mobile industry and current chair of the London Futurists, will act an independent chair of the group.
He said: “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.”
Members of the CAG will have first access to information on Ubuntu manufacturing plans and the first opportunities to launch as partners of Ubuntu smartphones.
Shuttleworth said: “While Ubuntu has gained tremendous traction in both cloud and PC environments, we recognise 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.”
Canonical said invitations remain extended to “any national or multinational carrier” until the end of July.
