China Mobile joins the Linux Foundation

China Mobile, the world's largest telecommunications operator by market value, is joining the Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the growth of the Linux open-source operating system. China Mobile is the first Chinese enterprise to sign on with the Linux Foundation--the operator's OPhone mobile operating system runs on the Linux kernel, with Ophone 2.5 slated for release by the end of 2010. China Mobile presently serves about 560 million customers.

There are now roughly 100 Linux Foundation members in all, across three levels of membership: Platinum, Gold and Silver. With the addition of China Mobile, the Gold membership ranks rise to 10, alongside seven Platinum members. Last week, the organization announced plans to merge with fellow nonprofit the Consumer Electronics Linux Forum, with the latter becoming a technical workgroup under the Linux Foundation umbrella.

For more on China Mobile's Linux Foundation entry:
- read this release

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