Samsung Electronics Co. is reportedly looking to release a new smartphone based on its Tizen operating system in Russia and India.
People familiar with the issue said that the South Korean company is setting up for the introduction of the smartphone in Moscow in the coming weeks, according to The Wall Street Journal. They added that the launch event will take place in the same format that the company uses to introduce its flagship devices.
One of the unidentified sources also said Samsung will soon release a Tizen smartphone in India and is working on an operating system compatible with television sets.
Tizen is an open-source system that includes Android features Sasmung licensed from Google, CNET reported.
Despite relying on software updates from Google, the consumer electronics giant is the No. 1 smartphone maker and Android partner.
Samsung and partner Intel Corp. are promoting the system as a platform that consumers can use to connect a variety of devices. The company uses Tizen for several of its cameras, as well as its Gear 2 smartwatch, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The company is looking to release the smartphone in Russia and India because the countries are growing mobile-phone markets where Samsung still has a stronger position. It is looking to avoid competing with Google and Apple in larger markets, such as the U.S.
Samsung made previous attempts at releasing a Tizen smartphone. The company announced in fall of 2011 that it would release the device by the first quarter of 2012, but that did not happen. The company also tried to release a Tizen phone in January, but the release was scrapped at the last minute because the system's carrier partners, which included France's Orange SA, Spain's Telefonica SA, and Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc., were unwilling to participate, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Executives said, however, that Samsung is still dedicating time to release a Tizen-based device.
