China Mobile Joins Linux Foundation as Gold Member
SAN FRANCISCO, November 2, 2010 – The Linux Foundation,
the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of
Linux, today announced that China Mobile Communications Corporation
(“China Mobile”), whose holding company is majority shareholder of
China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE: CHL), has become a Gold member, marking
the first time a Chinese enterprise has joined The Linux
Foundation.China Mobile is the world’s largest telecom operator by market
value. It also ranks as the largest carrier in the world in terms
of customer base and the scale of its network, through which it
provides mobile services including voice data, IP telephony and
multimedia. China Mobile has recently been investing in Linux, in
its OPhone mobile operating system, and has developed a cloud
computing system based on open source software. Its membership in
The Linux Foundation shows its further commitment to the Linux
platform.The Linux Foundation is engaged in the worldwide promotion,
training and standardization of Linux, fostering technical and
marketing cooperation in the computing industry. The Linux
Foundation has three levels of membership: Platinum, Gold and
Silver. At present, there are approximately 100 members, including
seven Platinum members and, with the membership of China Mobile,
ten Gold members.“China Mobile’s decision to join The Linux Foundation and their
commitment to Linux could represent a seismic step toward a
realignment of OSes in China and in the telecommunications
industry,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux
Foundation. “For The Linux Foundation, the opportunity to present
Linux as a choice to 560 million users is a power-packed
proposition.”Bill Huang, General Manager of China Mobile Research Institute,
stated: “China Mobile recognizes The Linux Foundation as the
world’s foremost nonprofit Linux organization, the focal point for
Linux technology, standardization and innovation. We see enormous
value in the open architecture of the Linux system and look forward
to contributing to Linux on a global scale.”In recent years, China has played an increasingly important role
in Linux. Chinese developers have contributed to Linux kernel
development, and Linux has been widely used in commerce and
education in China. According to a research report jointly issued
by Springboard Research and Spiceworks, the utilization rate of
Linux servers among SMEs in the Asia Pacific region now exceeds 25
percent, which is higher than the world average.Many of the largest Chinese Internet companies – Sina,
Shanda, Baidu, Taobao, Netease, and others – are using Linux
because of its open architecture, stability and performance. In
addition, several hardware manufacturers, such as Huawei and
Lenovo, are shipping Linux-based routers, servers, notebooks,
mobile phones, and other products.About China Mobile
China Mobile Communications Corporation (“China Mobile”) was
founded on April 20, 2000, with a registered capital of RMB 51.8
billion, and assets of more than RMB 8,000 billion, possessing the
largest network and customer base in the world.China Mobile (Hong Kong) Group Limited is wholly-owned by China
Mobile. Its holding company, China Mobile Limited (“listed company”
for short), has established wholly owned subsidiary companies in 31
provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) as well as Hong
Kong SAR. And the Company was listed on the New York and Hong Kong
stock exchange. Currently, China Mobile Limited is the world’s
largest telecommunications company by market value.China Mobile has been selected in the world’s top 500 by the
U.S. “Fortune” magazine for 10 consecutive years, and the latest
ranking is 77th. With its brand value rising, it has been named as
one of the world’s most powerful brands by the “Financial Times”
for four consecutive years. In addition, it was recognized on the
Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 2 consecutive years, being the
only company selected in Mainland China.About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to
fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007, the Linux
Foundation sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and is
supported by leading Linux and open source companies and developers
from around the world. The Linux Foundation promotes, protects and
standardizes Linux by hosting important workgroups, events such as
LinuxCon, and online resources such as Linux.com
(http://www.linux.com). For more information, please visit
www.linuxfoundation.org or follow the organization on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/linuxfoundation.