Symbian Joins ActiveSync Licensees

Following closely on the heels of similar announcements from Motorola, Nokia, and PalmOne, British mobile phone OS software vendor Symbian has agreed to license Microsoft’s Server ActiveSync synchronization protocol. This technology allows smart cell phones and wireless handheld computers to synchronize e-mail and personal information manager data, such as appointments and contacts, over the air (OTA) directly with Exchange 2003 servers. These announcements signal the intent of virtually every major wireless device manufacturer to offer devices that can synchronize data with Exchange 2003.

The deal with Microsoft is notable because Symbian was originally formed to counter Microsoft’s efforts to build mobile device software, but the scope of the deal is limited, and it does not necessarily signal broader cooperation between the two companies.

Symbian plans to make an Exchange Server ActiveSync protocol plug-in available to all Symbian OS licensees, which includes majority stakeholder Nokia, as well as Arima, BenQ, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Panasonic, Samsung, Sendo, Sharp, Siemens, and Sony Ericsson. This ActiveSync protocol plug-in will enable the licensees to implement direct synchronization capabilities with Exchange Server 2003 in their devices running a Symbian OS, without requiring any intermediate servers.