Telefónica Pursues Firefox OS

The first Telefonica Firefox OS devices are expected to launch in Brazil, Colombia, Spain and Venezuela during mid- 2013 with initial launch devices from Alcatel One Touch, LG and ZTE.

Telefónica is pursuing Firefox OS, the new, open mobile operating system from Mozilla. 

The first Firefox OS handsets to launch in these initial markets will be manufactured by Alcatel One Touch, LG and ZTE, featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor. 

Telefónica said the new Firefox OS marks a significant milestone for the mobile industry, enabling for the first time devices to be manufactured to totally open web standards. It provides an alternative to current, closed mobile ecosystems that lock consumers in.

“2013 marks the start of a new phase in our industry, one that will be characterized by open standards,” said César Alierta, Chairman & CEO of Telefónica. “For Telefónica and the telco sector as a whole, Firefox OS is a hugely important strategic initiative to change the prevailing value chain in the digital world. It is a major step to bring balance back to the telco sector, an initiative with strong cross-industry support. I am very pleased that our customers in Brazil, Colombia, Spain and Venezuela will be amongst the first in the world to experience Firefox OS and I look forward to making it available to all Telefónica customers globally.”

http://www.telefonica.com

In July 2012, Mozilla plans to launch a new fully open mobile ecosystem based on HTML5 has gained the backing of some leading mobile operators, including Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica and Telenor.

The idea is an open mobile OS and device architecture where every phone feature (calling, messaging, games, etc.) is an HTML5 application. The Firefox OS for mobile devices is built on Mozilla’s “Boot to Gecko project”.

TCL Communication Technology (under the Alcatel One Touch brand) and ZTE have announced their intentions to manufacture the first devices to feature the new Firefox OS, using Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm. The first Firefox OS powered devices are expected to launch commercially in Brazil in early 2013 through Telefónica’s commercial brand, Vivo.