Six industry heavyweights have formed a consortium to develop a Linux operating system for mobile phones.

Initial members of the LiMo Foundation include Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone.

The consortium is actively seeking partners to develop third-party applications that can be used with the new operating system, and will be at 3GSM in Barcelona this year to sign up companies and individuals.

"The LiMo Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit entity that strives to increase the adoption of Linux within the mobile industry," said the group in a statement.

"It aims to leverage the mobile Linux platform to create an open, transparent and scalable ecosystem spanning application and middleware developer communities to encourage the creation of compelling, differentiated and enhanced consumer experiences."

The group will be headed by Greg Besio of Motorola as chairman, and the 13 member board will meet four times a year to review progress.