One of the initial (March 2011) slide-decks we created at Telefonica describing our progress in the Open Web Device, which was later (much later, when Mozilla came up with a similar idea called Boot2Gecko) renamed as Firefox OS.
It's about time to start telling the real story behind FirefoxOS
1. Open Web Device
The reference feature phone
Madrid, March 2011
TELEFÓNICA I+D
2. Telefónica I+D
Current Status & The Problem: Some
context
2
STATUS: OEMs, service
providers (Google) and
OS manufacturers
currently provide the
complete stack of a
Mobile Phone
PROBLEM: There is little
room for operators to
differentiate (besides
being a dumb pipe and
offering flat rates and
pricing schemas)
Hardware Platform
System Service
Execution Environment
Non Native
Applications
Native
Applications
User Experience
Kernel
File System, Security Ext.
, Networking TCP/IP, …
Drivers
Radio, I/O,
BT/USB, Video
Libraries
Libc, Dbus, GTK, Alsa, TinyX, …
Middleware Framework
Internet, System, Network, LBS, Messaging, Security,
Application, Storage, Multimedia, UI, Telephony,…
Hardware
Screen, keyboard, connectivity,
…
100% controlled by the OEM.
System Service
Basic Kernel functionalities.
Access to the HW.
Device drivers provided by the
OEMs
Execution Environment
Libraries to access the system
service and device drivers.
Middleware abstraction to
access the libraries and
underlying platform.
Applications
Native applications: dialer,
address book, Comm Log, …
Non native applications:
developed by 3rd parties: SNs,
games, etc.
User Experience
Concept + Interaction design +
Visual Design + all of the
below.
3. Telefónica I+D 3
Hardware Platform
System Service
Execution Environment
Kernel
File System, Security Ext.
, Networking TCP/IP, …
Drivers
Radio, I/O,
BT/USB, Video
Libraries
Libc, Dbus, GTK, Alsa, TinyX, …
Middleware Framework
Internet, System, Network, LBS, Messaging, Security,
Application, Storage, Multimedia, UI, Telephony,…
Non Native
Applications
Native
Applications
User Experience
Solution: Simple and elegant to get complete device
control
Web Heart
HTML 5 - Javascript - CSS3
Device APIs Network APIs SIM APIs
Chromeless Browser
• A Web Runtime layer which abstracts and provides
access to the underlying Operating System
• OEMs deliver a device with the HW and the basic SW
/ Operating System according to the guidelines /
specifications
• Connects all the applications and services with the
underlying Operating System
• Provides access to Device, SIM & Network APIs
(through WAC 2.0 APIs + new APIs)
• Based on a stripped down version of the Operating
System: Low SW requirements -> low HW
requirements =>Target Feature phones.
Open Web Device Heart
What is the Telco going to add?
• A Service Experience Package, built through Web
Technologies: HTML5 & WAC.
• Services and Applications are WAC widgets.
• Different provisioning sources may be supported
(SIM, Network, RAM, Combination)
4. Telefónica I+D
SECURITY FRAMEWORK
Advertisin
g
Billing &
Charging
Provisioning
Storage
SIM
Backup
Voice
MailBox
Identity
Mgmt
Subscriber
Info
Network
location
Network Libraries
Network Capabilities
Network
OTAF
Camera
Location
File
System
Device
Status
App
Launcher
UI
extensions
App
Config
Messaging
Gallery
Bluetooth
DLNA
…
Push
Sensors…
Camera
Library
Gallery
Library
Media
Bluetooth
library
…
SIM
APDU
Crypto
…
Chromeless Browser
The Magic: Open Web Device
Device
Device Capabilities &
Libraries
Chromeless Browser: Browser that just displays the content of the
rendered resources with no extra elements. The chrome is the
visible part of the browser that do not depend on the content such
as decorations, tool and title bars, menus…
Device Capabilities and Libraries: Set of enablers and software
components offered by the device that allow the execution of
different functionalities: Camera, Location, Telephony,
Messaging… No specific kind of device is mandated by this
solution, i.e. handset, set-top-box, TVs could be used with this
solution
SIM Card Capabilities: The SIM Card is a piece of equipment
provided by operators that interacts with the device for different
purposes such as authentication, configuration, payment, content
storage…
Network Capabilities: Functionalities offered by remote server
infrastructure that can be consumed by any kind of device or by
other servers.
Operator’s Applications and Services
Application Service and UI Package: Set of elements that define
the complete set of applications, services and user interface
elements that determine the device User Experience. This package
is composed by HTML, CSS and JavaScript content.
Network Libraries: Software libraries installed in the device that
provide access to the network capabilities.
WRT
WRT (Web Run Time): Enables the execution and rendering of
applications built on top of Web Technologies such as HTML, CSS
and JavaScript.
The WRT is also responsible for exposing the device, network and
SIM capabilities to developers through a set of JavaScript APIs.
These APIs are protected by a set of security rules enforced by the
WRT Security Framework.
JavaScriptAPIs
5. Telefónica I+D
The Opportunity: A world of Opportunities
5
Absolute
control of a
Universal and
Dynamic
Device
Targeted effort
Feature
Phones
Full control of the device: UX, Services & Applications.
Device as a platform to deliver end user services.
Highly targeted, customized and dynamic devices.
90% of the effort of building a device goes into providing the Hardware and
the Underlying Operating System.
Mobile Operators only need to focus on delivering the remaining 10%:
Applications, Services or User Experience based on simple web
technologies (Javascript & HTML5)
Through high customization this is the opportunity to convert a large
amount of feature phone customers into ARPU intensive users (like
smartphoners)
Operating system requirements will lead HW requirements to under $50
smart feature phones
6. Telefónica I+D
The Opportunity: A world of Opportunities
(cont.)
6
Benefit from
WAC global
assets
Global application market
Two Open Source Reference Implementations developed by industry
leaders: Opera & Applix
Execution environment vendors and OEMs have co-developed with
Operators WAC: already know how to integrate technology.
SDK for developers.
Telcos
Same device for all Telcos
Benefit from WAC’s global application market
Can differentiate from other Telcos on Personalized User Experience
By joining we can create a bigger scale: even cheaper devices
7. Telefónica I+D
Current Progress
7
Concept
Several Patents have already been issued.
• Device concept
• Inter widget communication / Services and application management
• Bootstrapping and meta-widget container
Development
of services
Widgets developed in JavaScript, HTML5 & CSS3 which provide
• Basic Services
› Dialer, Address book, messaging, …
• Multimedia
› Camera, Photo gallery, …
• Other Services
› Clock, Calculator, Tokes, …
Specification &
WRT
implementation
Development of services has provided sufficient insight in order to improve:
• WAC’s specification
• WRT implementation
Open
Innovation
Signing NDA
Shortly to start conversations with OEMs to have a pilot by the end of the year
8. Telefónica I+D
Current 3rd party interaction flow
8
Service development
Specifications
OEMs deliver device with
integrated abstraction
layer.
WAC endorsement
would be beneficial to:
1. Get traction with
OEM
2. Generate scale
3. Tech: Include
extensions to WAC
3.X
NDA has been drawn up
1. Partnership rules
have to be defined
2. Licensing protocol
has to defined.
Telco
10. Telefónica I+D
Implementation
10
To achieve actual success, OWD has to be co-developed with an OEM + (if
necessary) WRT Vendor
However, Telefónica I+D is working on a full prototype which demonstrates
de the concept.
Three incremental alternatives:
1. Custom Android Home Screen.
2. OWD running on top of a ‘downsized’ Android App Framework
3. OWD Application Framework
11. Telefónica I+D 11
Integration options (I)
Custom Android Home Screen
• Launches the OWD WAC2 home application through an Android intent
• Easy to implement .- low level of integration / efficiency
• First approach towards an OWD Phone
• Already implemented as a prototype
Aplix Web Runtime
OWD WAC Home Application
Home
Screen
APK
Android App Framework
Dialer Camera Contacts
Gallery Messaging …... Android
Intent
12. Telefónica I+D 12
Integration options (II)
OWD running on top of a ‘downsized’ Android App Framework
• The OWD running as a Webview (Java) Dalvik application
• To study how to ‘downsize’ the Android Application Framework
Advantage
• It does not require big architectural changes to current WRTs
Drawbacks
• Efficiency
13. Telefónica I+D 13
Integration Options (III)
OWD Application Framework
• A WRT-based application framework built on top of libwebcore.so
• The different OWD apps are loaded in different ‘windows’ (top-level-browsing
contexts)
• The WRT chrome implements device decorations (status bars, etc)
• No intermediate OS application layer i.e. no JVM
• How to
› Implemented on top of an Android / Linux 2.6.x kernel
› For instance, the Wing Linux kernel (chip OMA-P850-based devices)
• Advantages
› Maximum flexibility
› Efficiency There is no Java layer
• Drawbacks
› Current WRT implementations are Java-based
› Re-engineering WRT to implement device APIs as native JS Functions
14. Telefónica I+D 14
Web Rendering
Engine
(libwebkit.so)
OWD Home Screen WebApp
OWD Webapp
JS Functions
OWD Application Framework
init.d
Linux OS Services
fork
window.open
postMessage
OWD Chrome
(Device Decorations)
Integration Options (III) -cont-
OWD Application
Framework
on top of Linux 2.6.x
15. Telefónica I+D
ARPU typically
increased by 25%
after smartphone
adoption
The Opportunity: Smart feature phones
Iconic
(iPhone)
Innovative
(HTC, Samsung, RIM)
Feature
(Nokia, ZTE, Huawei, …)
Customer base
Revenueperdevice
Through high customization this is the opportunity
to convert a large amount of feature phone
customers into ARPU intensive users (like
smartphoners)
Spain2009
Sold devices
Feature phones:
12.504.000
(79,7%)Smartphones:
3,193.000 (20,3%)
LATAM 2009
Sold devices
Feature phones:
102.608.000
(92,3%)Smartphones:
8.578.000 (7,7%)