Linux is poised to challenge Microsoft and Symbian in the handset operating system market as issues with framework fragmentation and silicon requirements are alleviated.

ABI Research noted a growing momentum behind the non-profit LiMo Foundation initiative, as well as a marketing boost generated by Google's Android offering.

Mobile Linux has been further enhanced by Nokia's support of Maemo and its purchase of Trolltech.

ABI said that nearly one out of every five mid- or high-end mobile device will use a Linux operating system by 2013.

Stuart Carlaw, ABI Research vice president, said: "Clever choice of public licence support, along with software engineering that isolates proprietary items from open source items, allows OS vendors to generate revenue from a very cost-effective OS solution."

"Linux OS solutions will be far more cost-effective than incumbent solutions, even when silicon requirements are taken into account.

"A fuller application layer will be included in the standard package, and the burden of customisation falls mostly on the independent software vendor."

A new ABI Research study predicts that Linux solutions will be at the centre of the drive to bring more content-rich environments to users who currently use mid-tier devices.

More importantly, it looks increasingly likely that mobile Linux solutions will be an important building block in enabling an application domain that embraces web-based and blended web/native applications.