A Post-Android Future? One Chinese Telco Signs Up For Ubuntu’s Mobile OS

With Chinese authorities having already warned that the nation is too dependent on Google’s Android, there’s a feeling that China is seeking a post-Android future. The upcoming, open-source, Ubuntu Touch OS might fit the bill. Today, China’s second-largest mobile telco by 3G user-base, China Unicom (NYSE:CHU; HKG:0762), signed up for the Ubuntu Carrier Advisory Group (CAG), which is a process by which “operators shape Ubuntu’s mobile strategy”.

According to MobileWorldLive, Li Xingxin of China Unicom’s terminal research and support center said today:

Ubuntu can be an exciting new platform for the Chinese market, offering a brand new user experience that balances user simplicity with operator requirements.

In plain English: Ubuntu Touch is a lot more powerful than Firefox OS and will allow the carrier to persuade high-end users to ditch Android. But China Unicom has not yet committed to shipping any Ubuntu Touch smartphones or tablets. Indeed, no handset maker or telco has done so yet, though Ubuntu Touch is still slated for some kind of roll-out in 2014.

CAG is also supported by Deutsche Telekom, Korea Telecom, Indonesia’s Smartfren, and a number of others firms.

Just right for China?

I got a chance to play with Ubuntu Touch on a tablet (pictured above) a couple of weeks ago at an event in Shanghai. I was told there’s no Chinese-language version of the OS available yet, but the English version looks and feels polished. The most confusing part of the OS is that there are no hard or resistive buttons (I was testing it on a re-purposed Nexus 10), so you need to know to swipe right from the left edge to access the unique desktop/launcher interface. The notification drawer is also very powerful – similar to Android’s but with more features – but again it relies on not very intuitive swipes. I’d say that it needs to be more customizable to fit in well to the Chinese market, which is something eminently possible on an open-source system.

China Unicom being a member of CAG means that it has, in theory, a period of exclusivity to ship Ubuntu Touch in its home market when that eventually happens. But until then, Unicom will continue to focus on its iOS, Android, and Windows Phone smartphone line-up.

China currently has over 300 million 3G users, and at least 220 million active users of Android.

(Source: MobileWorldLive)

(Editing by Willis Wee)