Sony Ericsson has joined the Open Handset Alliance, the group of companies, including handset manufacturers and mobile carriers, committed to the Android open mobile platform.
The company also confirmed its intention to release a handset based on the Android platform, though no timeframe has been announced.
"Sony Ericsson is excited to announce its membership of the Open Handset Alliance and confirm its intention to develop a handset based on the Android platform", said Rikko Sakaguchi, head of creation and development at Sony Ericsson.
"We believe Sony Ericsson can bring a wealth of experience in making consumer focused multimedia handsets with new user experience to the alliance. Sony Ericsson is a strong supporter of open operating systems and we believe the Open Handset Alliance offers an exciting opportunity for a new and unique user experience."
Along with Sony Ericsson, 13 other companies joined the alliance, including Toshiba and Vodafone. A number of mobile phone manufacturers are already members, including Motorola, Samsung, LG and HTC.