Symbian strikes DoCoMo 3G handsets agreement

Symbian has signed a deal with NTT DoCoMo giving the giant Japanese mobile operator access to Symbian OS source code. The idea is to allow Symbian licensees - several of which are handset makers from Japan - to tailor 3G phones more closely to DoCoMo's specifications.

DoCoMo will come up with a reference platform which it will pass on to Symbian OS phone makers, the goal being a consistent, optimised and tested implementations on handsets for FOMA, DoCoMo's slight twist on the W-CDMA 3G standard.

DoCoMo has traditionally been strict in how it is supplied by handset vendors - branding phones 'DoCoMo', for example, even when they're from major hardware companies - meaning getting technology right to work with its FOMA network is all-important.

Japanese companies likely to be affected by the deal include Fujitsu, which already makes a 3G Symbian-based phone for DoCoMo, and Symbian licensees Matsushita, Sanyo and SonyEricsson, a Swedish-Japanese joint venture.

David Levin, Symbian CEO, said in a statement that the deal is "a great opportunity for handset manufacturers to take best advantage of the Symbian OS and to exploit the full potential of FOMA" and will make Symbian more attractive as a development platform.

DoCoMo is working with other software for 3G but stated its existing Symbian-based handsets from Fujitsu have proved popular with customers to date.