{"id":908,"date":"2014-02-23T15:13:48","date_gmt":"2014-02-23T15:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/press-uk\/?p=908"},"modified":"2014-02-23T15:13:48","modified_gmt":"2014-02-23T15:13:48","slug":"firefox-os-unleashes-the-future-of-mobile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/press-uk\/2014\/02\/23\/firefox-os-unleashes-the-future-of-mobile\/","title":{"rendered":"Firefox OS Unleashes the Future of Mobile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Momentum continues with an expanding ecosystem of partners, new market rollouts and portfolio options to customise and scale
\n<\/em>
\nBarcelona, Spain – Mobile World Congress – February 23, 2014 – Mozilla, the mission-based organisation dedicated to keeping the power of the Web in people\u2019s hands, demonstrated the breadth and growth of its Firefox OS open mobile ecosystem at a press event on the eve of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The event introduced seven new commercial Firefox OS devices and highlighted advancements and partnerships that will enable the platform to scale up in 2014.<\/p>\n

Growing support and availability<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the year since MWC 2013, Firefox OS devices have gone on sale in 15 markets with four global operators and handsets from three manufacturers. Firefox OS will be expanding into important new markets in 2014. Telef\u00f3nica will build on the list of countries where it\u2019s selling Firefox OS phones, with eight more launching this year: Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Germany, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama. Deutsche Telekom will also add four new markets: Croatia, the Czech Republic, Macedonia and Montenegro.<\/p>\n

Operator support for Firefox OS also continues to expand, as Telkomsel and Indosat have joined the list of 21 key operators across the globe that support the open Web device initiative. That list also includes partners announced last year: Am\u00e9rica M\u00f3vil, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Hutchison Three Group, KDDI, KT, MegaFon, Qtel, SingTel, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia Group, Telef\u00f3nica, Telenor, Telstra, TMN and VimpelCom. <\/p>\n

A new smartphone entry level <\/strong><\/p>\n

Spreadtrum has announced WCDMA and EDGE turnkey reference designs for Firefox OS as well as the industry\u2019s first chipset for US$25 smartphones, the SC6821, that redefines the entry level for smartphones in key growth markets. These solutions are already creating a stir, with global operators such as Telenor, Telkomsel and Indosat, and ecosystem partners such as Polytron, T2Mobile and Thundersoft expressing interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn six short months, Firefox OS has more than established itself in the very markets it aimed to address,\u201d said John Jackson, VP of Mobility Research, IDC. \u201cToday’s announcements underscore the platform’s rapid maturation and growing ecosystem benefits. New products, tools, categories, partners, features, and extraordinarily compelling price points will reinforce Firefox OS’s momentum into 2014. IDC expects year-on-year Firefox OS volumes will grow by a factor of six times in the smartphone category alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flexibility and customisation<\/em><\/p>\n

Firefox OS devices are the first devices built entirely to open Web standards, with every feature developed as an HTML5 application. Mozilla previewed the future of Firefox OS at its press event, demonstrating how its flexibility, scalability and powerful customisation empower users, developers and industry partners to create the exact mobile experience they want. Carriers can easily and deeply customise the interface and develop localised services that match the unique needs of their customer base. <\/p>\n

Deutsche Telekom is utilising this customisation to develop new Firefox OS features for the Future of Mobile Privacy project, a joint effort with Mozilla to bring data privacy closer to customers. The organisations’ privacy offices have been collaborating over the past year to conceptualise and develop new privacy features that are currently being tested for consideration in future Firefox OS releases. <\/p>\n

Firefox OS is also expanding to additional form factors, as partners and contributors work to optimize the software for TVs, tablets and other devices. In January, Panasonic announced a partnership with Mozilla to release next-generation smart TVs powered by Firefox OS.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirefox OS is off to an amazing start. We launched our first smartphones in July, and have since expanded into fifteen markets,\u201d said Jay Sullivan, chief operating officer of Mozilla. \u201cPeople in Latin America and Eastern Europe have eagerly upgraded from their feature phones to Firefox OS smartphones and now have rich access to the Web and apps. Sales have far exceeded our targets. But 2013 was just the beginning. In 2014, we are differentiating our user experience and our partners are growing the portfolio of devices. We are also enabling a whole new category of smartphone, priced around $25, that will bring even more people around the world online.\u201d<\/p>\n

Streamlining the support process<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mozilla has received significant interest from mobile manufacturers looking to differentiate themselves by producing Firefox OS phones and tablets. To help service this demand and facilitate the next wave of device growth, Mozilla launched a new self-service<\/a> partner portal to fast track manufacturers and streamline bringing devices to market. Manufacturers get all the resources and branding required to launch a Firefox OS device in one place.<\/p>\n

In order to promote the success of this ecosystem, the Open Web Device Compliance Review Board (CRB) was formed<\/a> by Mozilla and major global partners in late 2013. The CRB\u2019s aim is to define and evolve the process of encouraging API compatibility and competitive performance for open Web devices.<\/p>\n

Partner quotes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marieta Rivero, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Telef\u00f3nica, said, \u201cWe started marketing Firefox OS less than eight months ago commencing with Spain and expanding to several Latin American countries. In a number of these countries, Firefox OS has been a market leader in Smartphone sales from the very start. We\u2019re transforming the market, and will continue focusing our efforts on open environments that give clients more freedom, and prices that are better suited to their possibilities. 2014 will undoubtedly be a key year for all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The continuing rollout across our European markets is tangible proof of our drive to push Firefox OS together with Mozilla and bring an open operating system to all of our customers,\u201d said Thomas Kiessling, Chief Product & Innovation Officer at Deutsche Telekom. \u201cThe introduction of an even more affordable handset on the one hand and a higher-end model on the other also show we are reaching to more market segments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTelenor and our operating businesses have seen great consumer satisfaction and a continued appetite in the market for quality, low-cost products based on Firefox OS,\u201d said Holger Hussmann, VP Device and OS, Telenor. \u201cWe are supportive and welcoming of the efforts of enabling vendors and device partners focused on serving this great, underserved market opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alistair Johnston, Director of Marketing for Telkomsel, said \u201cTelkomsel will support Mozilla with its Spreadtrum turnkey solution and device partner as an attempt to bring the smartphone to the palm of every Indonesian and to perform Telkomsel strategy to speed up and enrich the DNA (Device \u2013 Network \u2013 Application) ecosystem in Indonesia.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Director & CEO of Indosat, Alexander Rusli, said, \u201cIndosat as the leading communications provider in Indonesia is ready for Firefox OS smartphones based on the Spreadtrum solution. This is in line with our strategy in 2014 to provide the best experience to our customers and become the customer\u2019s preferred choice for smartphones and smart device users.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Polytron is announcing the intention of supporting the manufacturing, distribution, and promotion of Firefox OS smartphones based on Spreadtrum\u2019s latest solution.\u201d said Mr. Hariono, CEO of Polytron, Indonesia\u2019s leading mobile device brand.<\/p>\n

\u201cT2Mobile specialises in offering our customers the ability to rapidly address the needs of its customers in every segment of the wireless ecosystem,\u201d said Aaron Zhang, CEO, T2Mobile, a leading ODM specialising in Firefox OS based mobile solutions. \u201cThe creation of new Firefox OS and open Web devices will be further accelerated by these solutions and we are pleased to support these new offerings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited by the new and highly affordable possibilities enabled by Firefox OS,\u201d said Hongfei Zhao, CEO, Thundersoft, a leading global technology and solutions provider that helps OEMs\u2019 accelerate high quality product development and achieve fast time to market. \u201cWe have expanded our services in new areas including support for Firefox OS, enabling new and unique offerings in the mobile Internet device industry and ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information<\/strong>
\nPlease visit Mozilla and experience Firefox OS at stand 3C30 in Hall 3, at the Fira Gran Via, Barcelona from February 24-27, 2014.<\/p>\n

For additional resources, such as high-resolution Firefox OS images, b-roll video and links to stand-alone partner releases visit: https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/press.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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