The Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum will release specifications and a roadmap in order to help mobile communication evolution.

The specifications are part of LiPS Release 1.0, whose complete delivery is planned by the end of 2007. The roadmap of additional specification areas will be developed through 2008.

These LiPS Release 1.0 specifications documents represent the first public deliverables from working group activities since LiPS’ founding, and will help to improve interoperability across the Linux-based mobile telephony ecosystem – from software stack suppliers to mobile device OEMs to regional and global wireless operators.

The specifications published include: LiPS Reference Model, Address Book and Voice Call Enabler, and User Interface Services (Widget sets, Key Navigation and Text Input Method APIs). Before the end of 2007, the LiPS Forum will finalize the remaining elements of LiPS Release 1.0 by adding specifications relating to Telephony, Messaging, Calendar, IM, Presence and additional User Interface Services API specifications.

The emerging LiPS standards offer a range of benefits to the Linux-based mobile industry, especially in terms of reducing fragmentation, by informing and aligning OEMs, ISVs, operators and other consortia and standards bodies.

“LiPS belongs to a new class of industry forums whose standards development model is closer to open source principles, i.e. standardization through public specifications and reference code implementations, rather than just paper-based,” commented Andreas Constantinou, senior analyst with VisionMobile and author of a forthcoming strategic report on mobile open source. “LiPS release 1.0 will be important in helping Linux implementations converge, especially around telephony, PIM and UI services, where fragmentation is stalling otherwise unanimous manufacturer momentum behind mobile Linux.”