Concerns over the usefulness of Linux as a mobile phone operating system have been played down by market analyst IMS Research.

It has already been suggested that open source Linux will be the standard operating system for set-top boxes, but standard fragmentation has been a criticism of Linux as a mobile operating system (OS) as there could be a certain amount of variation in Linux-based designs when compared to other platforms such as Symbian or Windows Mobile.

According to IMS Research, this fragmentation will not hamper the platform in the long-term and it predicted that Linux will experience strong growth over the next several years in smartphone and feature rich handset designs.

“What many do not realise is that Linux itself is not actually a complete cellular OS platform; it is a kernel,” said Alison Bogle, a senior analyst at IMS Research. “So far, most of the time when the Linux kernel has been modified to create a solution, it has resulted in another Linux ‘flavour,’ or variant. That is why there is currently such a problem of fragmentation with Linux.”

There are industry initiatives aimed at addressing Linux-related fragmentation. For example, the LiMo Foundation plans to focus on the development of a de facto standard Linux-based mobile platform.

IMS Research does not believe that the market will consolidate on only one platform, but it does expect that clear leaders will emerge. "This will allow the Linux ecosystem to narrow its focus to a smaller number of Linux platform variations, further diminishing the effects of fragmentation," said the researcher.

These findings come from a study titled "The Impact of Cellular Linux", which examines the potential for Linux as a mobile OS in all handset tiers: smartphone, feature rich, and basic feature.