The Limo Foundation – the consortium behind mobile Linux-based operating system LiMo Platform – is attempting to take some of the spotlight off rival Android during the GSMA Mobile World Congress this week, announcing today a number of new developments and claiming that some mobile operators are fearful of Google’s high-profile platform. In an interview with Mobile Business Briefing, the LiMo Foundation said that some mobile operators fear that Google’s business model underlying the Android operating system offers a competitive threat to them. The foundation argues mobile operators need to maintain control over their own brand, operating system and business processes.

“A lot of operators still harbour some questions over whether they will have the control over services and how much of the data that is going out and coming from a Google device goes to Google and how much to you [the operator],” said Andrew Shikiar, director of global marketing for the LiMo Foundation. With nine new ‘LiMo compliant’ handsets set to be introduced at this week’s event, the Foundation claims that this brings the total number of commercially available handsets to 33. The foundation also today announced six new members, of which two – Telefonica and Swisscom – are mobile operators. Handset vendor CasioHitachi has also joined, along with chipmaker Marvell, browser firm Opera and Korean vendor Aromasoft.