When Nokia bought-out Symbian Ltd and transformed it into the Symbian Foundation in 2008, open source was all the rage. Open Linux-based mobile platforms such as LiMo were making good progress and the Google-backed Open Handset Alliance was poised to unveil the first version of the now-ubiquitous Android. Analysts at the time confidently predicted that these operating systems would eventually merge into a single open mobile platform. This was not as fanciful as it now sounds: device manufacturers could compete with each other on a common platform, while developers would be spared the hassle of working across multiple systems. Plus, membership of these alliances tended to be made up of the same industry names anyway. Surely it was only a matter of time?

Reports this week predicting the imminent demise of the Symbian Foundation reflect how times have changed. Android is now the only real open-source player left standing and, while it continues to build market share, its commitment to ‘openness’ appears to be doing it more harm more than good right now (the unregulated mess of the Android Market apps store being a good example).

But at least Android still has the support of the device manufacturers. The same cannot be said for Symbian, which has seen both Samsung and Sony Ericsson leave the fold in recent weeks leaving Nokia as the only top-tier vendor supporting the platform. This news was followed last week by the departure of the Symbian Foundation’s head man Lee Williams who has been replaced – somewhat ominously – by the firm’s CFO, who has reportedly been charged with winding-up the business within the current financial year.

If the reports are true, then that’s clearly very bad news for the Foundation’s 100 or so employees, but it doesn’t mean the end of the road for Symbian itself. In fact, if Nokia decides to take management of the system in-house – the likely outcome if the Foundation is dissolved – then it could be an opportunity for Nokia/Symbian to finally begin a fightback in the smartphone space.

This idea will be attractive to the new regime at Nokia. The Finnish vendor already shoulders the bulk of the responsibility for funding and developing the OS, a task which it may now feel is best managed without the need for (and cost of) a separate body designed to represent the interests of other parties in the ecosystem. It will also give Nokia the authority to direct the future Symbian roadmap according to its own agenda, allowing it to react to competition more quickly and effectively, while avoiding the problems of ‘design by committee’ which can dog an open-source approach. And, of course, it already has open-source covered with its MeeGo Linux-based platform with Intel.

But the biggest advantage of bringing Symbian in-house could be its ability to differentiate Nokia devices from the raft of Android-based products – both in terms of hardware and software – and allow it to control both. Indeed, it is tempting to read into recent comments from Nokia that the vendor is now looking to move toward the ‘closed’ model successfully deployed at RIM and Apple. Among the many interesting tidbits offered by new CEO Stephen Elop on Nokia’s third-quarter earnings call last week was his commitment to building “a complete solution” encompassing the hardware, operating platform, application ecosystem and the developers.

Or, to put it another way, he wants to build an iPhone.

Matt Ablott

The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members