Symbian has launched the first version of its mobile Operating System (OS) to offer Wi-Fi support. Version 9.3 is an update release, and according to Symbian’s vice president of product management and strategy, Jorgen Behrens, the version is fully backwards- compatible with all other iterations of version 9.

A major development in the new version of Symbian is the shift from a proprietary tool chain to one based on the Eclipse platform. Calling Eclipse a ‘very good tool for technology’, Behrens indicated that there would be a period when both tools could be used in developing applications for Symbian.

Behrens also said the update was, in terms of Wi-Fi support, comparable to the shift from Windows 2000 to XP. “There are some phones on the market today that have Wi-Fi in them, but its added by the manufacturer,” Behrens said on Wednesday, explaining that native Wi-Fi support would make it easier to implement applications such as phone-based VoIP (Voice over IP).

Behrens suggested that the first phones to feature version 9.3 of Symbian would appear at the start of 2007. He indicated that the improved Wi-Fi support was geared towards convergence devices, which can switch between GSM and home Wi-Fi connections. According to Behrens, this technology could provide the next step for projects such as BT Fusion, which currently uses Bluetooth technology. “Symbian has seen a lot of interest and a lot of movement towards these convergent services,” he says.

He also claimed that the new version of Symbian would provide faster start-up times for phones and key applications, and faster synchronization for contacts.