Symbian licenses Epoc to Sanyo

Mobile consortium Symbian has licensed its Epoc software platform to Sanyo in a move analysts said will further increase its worldwide credibility.

Sanyo said it would use the platform to develop a range of "advanced mobile communication devices" which integrate mobile phone functionality with mobile computing.

Symbian, which is jointly owned by Ericsson, Matshushita, Motorola, Nokia and Psion, has already licensed Epoc to all its founder members, and the deal with Sanyo is only the second with a non-Symbian member. In May this year, Sony said it would use the platform in the development of its next-generation smart phones.

Industry analysts said the deals, particularly those with Sanyo and Sony, will give Symbian the worldwide visibility it currently lacks.

US researcher Gartner said in a recent report that Sony is a brand name that Symbian can leverage to expand in the Asian and US markets.

Catherine Pennington, a senior analyst with IDC, agreed. "I think other companies will start to come on board now. Sony is already a big win from the outside and Sanyo is also very well recognised in both the corporate and consumer space," she said.

Pennington added that products based on the Epoc platform should hit the market by the middle of next year.